Everybody occasionally feels a normal appetite loss, which is a part of our health. If this condition is frequent, and you feel decreased appetite all the time without any reason, that may be a serious concern you need to monitor. Appetite is a crucial aspect of our well-being, and according to age, the desire to eat may vary. It also depends on our psychological and physical condition, which is generally acknowledged as our appetite. 

In this blog, we will explain what causes your lack of desire to eat, and how to combat these conditions and make yourself healthy and energetic by maintaining proper appetite.

What is a loss of appetite?

It is a condition where you have less desire to eat, or you are not feeling any hunger most of the time. Poor appetite can lead to nutrient deficiencies, weight loss, and a decline in overall health. Depending on the causes and conditions, appetite loss may happen suddenly or last for a long time. Due to common mental health disorders like stress, depression, or anxiety, you may not have any urges to eat in some cases, but if it persists for days or months, you need proper medical attention and treatment for this.

What causes loss of appetite in adults?

Depending on physical conditions to mental well-being, poor appetite may happen with many causes:

Physical Illnesses or diseases:
Conditions such as fever, infections, digestive issues and chronic diseases like cancer or liver disease can cause appetite disorder or no hunger problem. 

Mental Health disorders:
Your mental health drastically impacts appetite changes; if there are any mental health disorders like stress, depression, or anxiety, your appetite loss can easily happen. Your desire to eat gradually decreases, and decreased appetite can affect your whole body.

Age-related Factors:

Poor appetite without any reason for older people is normal due to slower metabolism, reduced digestive system, or low physical activity.

Lifestyle Factors:

Poor lifestyle habits, such as irregular eating schedules, high alcohol consumption, or stress from work or relationships, can all affect your eating habits.

Bacterial or viral inflammations:

Bacterial and viral infections are common causes of loss of appetite. Infections like tuberculosis, pneumonia, meningitis, colitis, and gastroenteritis can lead to a reduced desire to eat. However, with the right treatment, appetite loss associated with these infections can be effectively managed and resolved.

Oral Infections:

Oral ulcers or thrush can cause significant discomfort while eating, leading to a reduced appetite in children. These painful sores or fungal infections in the mouth make swallowing difficult. Providing gentle oral care, offering a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and seeking proper medical treatment can help relieve these conditions.

Thyroid disease: 

Both hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) can lead to a loss of appetite. Thyroid hormones regulate how your body converts food into energy, and any imbalance in their secretion can slow down bodily functions. With less energy being used, your hunger naturally decreases.

Certain medications:

Changes in appetite or no hunger disorders can happen due to using certain medications, like excessive use of antibiotics, chemotherapy medications, amphetamines, digoxins, and many more.

Signs & Symptoms of Appetite Disorder that need medical attention:

If you have a sudden loss of appetite without a reason, there may be some underlying signs and symptoms that contribute to your appetite loss. Signs and symptoms are:

• Not willing to eat 
• Unnecessary weight loss
• Weakness
• Fatigue 
• Nausea
• Frequent mood swings, stressed, or depressed
• Abdominal discomfort
• Less interest in food items
• No hunger

How to get your appetite back with healthy practices:

Though it’s important to seek medical professionals if you have loss of appetite issues, at home, you can use some remedies or healthy practices to reduce its impact. Here are some tips about how to increase appetite naturally:

Follow regular meals: 

It’s crucial to maintain your meals regularly, like morning breakfast, afternoon lunch, and dinner at night. Don’t skip our meals.

Stay Hydrated, But Not Too Much During Meals: 

Sometimes, drinking too much water during meals can make you feel too full and suppress your appetite. Sip water between meals, but avoid excessive drinking right before or during meals.

Ginger Tea:

Ginger has natural properties that can help stimulate digestion and improve appetite. Add it to tea to get comfort with your healthy digestion.

Add liquid meals:

While having a fever or a bad health condition, you just add some liquid food items into your meals, like juices, soups, health drinks, and electrolytes, to keep your body’s energy level steady.

Healthy, Calorieless Foods:

Foods like nuts, avocado, or smoothies can provide extra calories and nutrients in small amounts. Blend smoothies with fruits, yoghurt, nuts, and seeds for a nutrient-packed meal and lower your appetite issues.

Manage stress and increase physical activities:

To help improve your reduced appetite condition, you need to look into your mental health as well. Managing your stress, mingling with yoga classes, morning walk for at least 20 to 25 minutes, meditation, and getting enough sleep daily, can balance your mental health, which helps in maintaining your appetite.

Understand the difference between Loss of appetite and Anorexia?

Loss of appetite, medically known as anorexia, refers to a lack of hunger, when you don’t have any urges to eat. This is distinct from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder where a person may still experience hunger but deliberately restricts their food intake. In loss of appetite, the feeling of hunger is completely absent, unlike in anorexia nervosa, where the desire to eat exists but is consciously ignored.

When to treat appetite disorders with a doctor?

Your appetite problem can be serious if you have suffered for a long time with this condition, which may include some other chronic diseases. When your condition becomes chronic with:

• Excessive weight loss
• Experience other symptoms like fatigue, nausea, weakness, or decreased body energy.
• Having this unwillingness to eat for more than a week.

Finding the underlying condition of these appetite disorders will help in the best treatment for loss of appetite.

Contact Nirnayan Healthcare, the best laboratory chain across Kolkata, for all types of pathology tests under one roof.

Conclusion:

So, how to treat your appetite problems depends on the causes and their types. Your body is continuously changing with your age, conditions, and also related to your lifestyle behaviours. But it’s important to take precautions if loss of appetite persists and you need medical guidance to overcome it. Sudden loss of appetite without reason can be a symptom of any chronic or silent disease, so stay updated with your health queries and keep checking your health for any interventions.