Zinc levels in severe eating disorders

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Clinical Medicine
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Severe eating disorders (EDs) like Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) cause significant nutrient deficiencies, including zinc.
• Zinc plays a crucial role in metabolism and is linked to symptoms common in EDs, such as appetite and mood disturbances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between zinc levels and severe malnutrition in patients with specific eating disorder subtypes (AN-R, AN-BP, ARFID).
• To examine the impact of the refeeding process on zinc levels in these patients.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 92 adult patients with severe AN or ARFID hospitalized for medical stabilization.
• Blood samples were collected from patients within four days of admission and again at 72 hours before discharge.
• Control group comprised healthy Denver Health staff; analyses used general linear models.

Main Results:

• Patients with severe EDs had significantly lower zinc levels upon admission compared to controls.
• Zinc levels were higher in the Anorexia Nervosa-Restricting (AN-R) subtype than in the Anorexia Nervosa-Binge Purge (AN-BP) subtype.
• Zinc levels decreased significantly during refeeding treatment in patients with EDs, more so than in controls.

Conclusions:

• Lower zinc levels and a significant decrease during refeeding ("refeeding hypozincemia") may contribute to the high relapse rates in severe EDs.
• Zinc deficiency symptoms, such as impaired taste/smell, decreased appetite, and depression, align with ED symptoms.
• Targeting zinc levels during refeeding could be a novel therapeutic strategy to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism in severe eating disorders.