The problem of loss of appetite mainly due to loss of appetite is seen more in children, although it can happen to anyone. There can be many reasons behind the loss of appetite, which can include a variety of diseases and symptoms. Loss of appetite is usually caused by your recent medications, your age, and mental disorders, although there can be many other reasons for loss of appetite.
Many times the reason for loss of appetite can be a bit strange and temporary, such as due to a virus infection in the stomach. But sometimes the conditions also take a serious form in which you do not feel hungry for a long time and many side effects are seen.
Hunger refers to how much or how many times a person wants to eat food in a day. Hunger does not always correspond to the amount of food or nutrients a person actually needs.
What is the loss of Appetite?
In short words, lack of desire to eat food actually defines lack of appetite. Loss of appetite or not feeling hungry can be due to many reasons:
- Even after going for a long time without eating food, there is no feeling from within that you are hungry.
- Vomiting or nausea at the thought of eating.
- Lack of desire to eat
- Pain, swelling, and loss of desire to eat due to an infection.
Unknowingly, these symptoms of loss of appetite work to do you a lot of harm. Many other major physical problems can be faced due to lack of nutrition, weakening of immunity, weight loss etc.
Symptoms of loss of appetite
If you do not get water in your mouth after seeing very tasty food, then it can be a symptom of a loss of appetite. Being careless about food is also included in this category. However, some other symptoms of loss of appetite are as follows
- Feeling of satisfaction of filling the stomach even after eating very little food.
- Difficulty in swallowing the morsel inside.
- Trying to force food even if the food of your choice is prepared.
- Loss of taste in any type of food.
- Feeling of fullness at the mere smell of food.
There are many reasons for loss of appetite. Your body’s ability may be responsible for this, which could actually be the reason for not feeling hungry.
Physical causes of loss of appetite
Many of our physical health conditions can be responsible for the physical symptoms of loss of appetite. Such reasons for loss of appetite can be many short-term diseases such as cold, cold, flu, etc.
When you have these minor diseases, it becomes a temporary reason for loss of appetite and after recovery from the disease, you start feeling hungry like a normal person.
If you feel that you are not feeling hungry for a long time, it could be a sign of an underlying condition. Some examples of chronic conditions that can cause loss of appetite are:
- HIV
- Any serious liver disease
- Hepatitis
- Any serious kidney disease
- An underactive thyroid, known as hypothyroidism.
- Lack of such nutrients in the body which is responsible for hunger.
- Any intestinal disorder, such as (IBS) irritable bowel syndrome or inflammatory bowel disease.
- Some types of cancer like – intestinal cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer and ovarian cancer etc.
- Heart failures
- Long-term lung blockage such as pneumonia
- Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome
- Constipation
Apart from all this, symptoms of loss of appetite can be felt, especially during pregnancy, due to changes in hormones, which is a short-term condition.
Psychological reasons for loss of appetite
There can also be psychological and emotional reasons related to our brain and thinking behind the loss of appetite. For example, if an incident happens to us that has caused our heart attack, it is natural to feel hungry. The frequent and repeated occurrence of such incidents in life causes many types of physical and mental harm to you emotionally.
Long-term stress can also lead to problems like loss of appetite. Loss of appetite is also included in these causes and disorders. According to a study conducted in 2018 it was found that overeating can also cause stress which is more severe than eating less.
Consider that many times when you feel happy, you are eager to eat food even without hunger, then it can be said that both physical and psychological reasons can be responsible for affecting the appetite.
We will tell you some mental disorders of loss of appetite, which affect appetite:
- Grief
- Mental disturbance
- Anxiety disorders
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- substance use disorders
In substance use disorders, there are many such situations in which you eat something that affects your mindset and for that reason problems like loss of appetite start arising. For example, this disorder is easily caused by the use of drugs and intoxicants such as cigarettes, ganja, smack, heroin, cocaine, alcohol etc. for a long time.
Due to loss of appetite due to medicines
Many types of drugs have the ability to affect your appetite and can change the appetite of any person. Medicines can reduce the feelings of hunger you feel. Medicines can change your taste, and smell, or sense of taste. Sometimes it can cause nausea. Any of these side effects can reduce your appetite for food.
Some drugs and medical treatments that can have this effect include:
- effect of antibiotics
- Taking heavy (strong) painkillers, such as codeine and morphine
- Antidepressants (medicines used to treat depression can reduce your appetite)
- sedative
- thyroid hormone drugs
- Chemotherapy can also cause problems like loss of appetite.
- immunotherapy
- radiation therapy
- Constipation
Treatment for loss of Appetite
If you are not able to consume food in a healthy way, then there are many ways for this that can help in increasing your appetite. If you feel a loss in your appetite due to any suppressed food, then you can talk to your doctor about it. Following are some home remedies to increase appetite:
Improve your eating habits
Many times you lose the desire to eat food, this can be the reason behind eating too much food together. Suppose if you do not feel hungry, or you feel very little appetite, then instead of eating more food together, you can get rid of this disorder by eating little food from time to time.
Change your habits and set certain meal times so that you are more likely to feel hungry at that time.
Consume additional zinc
Lack of nutrients in the body, especially zinc deficiency can make you suffer from disorders like loss of appetite. Zinc increases the ability of our body to absorb nutrients, due to which we start feeling hungry. There are many types of zinc supplements available in the market and online, which you can include in your regular diet to deal with problems like loss of appetite.
Detox the liver
Many times there are many types of disorders in your liver due to which it is not able to do its work properly. Due to this reason, we get many stomach related problems like loss of appetite. That is why to keep the liver healthy, you should take these pills selected by doctors, you will definitely get relief from appetite and stomach related disorders.
Consume extra minerals
Availability of minerals is very important for our body. If there is any deficiency in them, then you definitely increase the risk of suffering from many diseases.
In such a situation, to increase the appetite of your body, you should consume extra amounts of minerals so that you do not suffer from any other disease. Minerals work to increase our appetite by developing our immunity.
Don’t eat alone, eat with your people
It has been confirmed in many researches that if you eat food alone, it works to reduce your appetite. This study, conducted in 2016, confirmed that if you eat with your friends or family than alone, then this factor can work to increase your appetite.
Eat only what interests you
When you feel that you are losing the desire to eat, start eating your favourite dishes to increase your interest in food, it not only increases your desire to eat but also your attachment towards food does better.
Reduce fibre rich food
Fibre is not something that you can digest very quickly and if your diet includes too much fibre rich food, then this is probably the reason behind your loss of appetite. In such a situation, you should include low fibre foods in your diet. Reduce fibre rich food like wheat, etc. You feel full for a long time after a fibre-rich meal.
Make some important changes in your routine
Daily exercise
What are the benefits of exercise, I do not think you will be curious to know about it in some detail. You should understand that exercise is the most important activity for your metabolism, if you exercise, then you will not have any stomach related disorder, even if it will be cured by your exercise. Loss of appetite is seen more in those who do not exercise.
Keep yourself cool
Your body temperature affects your appetite. That’s why you need to avoid too much heat at times. By keeping the body cool, you can get rid of problems like loss of appetite. Apart from this, if you keep yourself cool, then you can also avoid problems like dehydration, nausea and headache and pain in the eyes.
When to see a doctor if you are not hungry?
Our physical ailments can be suffered and cured at home as long as you are fully aware of them. But if the matter is serious, then you cannot tolerate such changes nor can they be treated at home. That is why if you see or feel some of the following symptoms in yourself, then you should seek medical help immediately.