"In Italy a real epidemic, but high chances of recovery if action is taken soon"

June 2, 2016 - “Eating disorders represent a real epidemic at the moment in Italy”. This is the alarm raised by the professor Laura Dalla Ragione, teacher at the Degree Course in Food Sciences and Human Nutrition UCBM. On the occasion of the World Day Against Eating Disorders, the expert points out that, according to data from the Ministry of Health, "3 million people are affected by these pathologies in our country".

What are the pathologies recognized as eating disorders (DCA)?

The most common disorders are restrictive anorexia nervosa, bulimia characterized by binge eating or self-induced vomiting and the new binge eating disorder recently included in the diagnostic manual of psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, male eating disorders have been spreading more and more for some years, with an incidence rate of 20% in our adolescents. In the case of males let's talk about reverse anorexia or vigorexsia, or rather the spasmodic search for an increase in muscle mass, which leads boys to train intensively and progressively reduce the amount of food.

The fashion of the food and can new food trends have negative consequences on health?

Today it is extremely important to understand what to eat, to take care of the choice and preparation of food, as well as to enhance its cultural value linked to conviviality. Unfortunately, the abundant supply of food and the spread of the physical model of thinness have led to an increase in disorders and therefore explain how it is easier than in the past to fall ill with these depressive pathologies.
There are also disturbances linked to cultural trends. Orthorexia, the obsession with eating healthy, is for example a tendency linked to the fear that food hurts and therefore leads to restricting the types of food to very few qualities of food, to finally eat almost nothing. The last frontier is instead that of selective eating disorders, until a few years ago characteristic of childhood and today also contracted by adolescents, young people and adults who reduce their diet to a narrow range of foods, such as white ones , or of a certain consistency. Finally, there are also those who convince themselves that they suffer from a food intolerance and begin to exclude certain foods from their diet with harmful consequences for the body.

Are there any therapeutic news regarding DCA treatments?

Today we have highly specialized therapies whose foundation is based on the integration of nutritional treatment, psychological treatment and family support. If the three aspects are tackled together, there is a very high chance of recovery, provided that action is taken soon: the pathology tends to become chronic and relapse. The interventions carried out in the first year of the history of the disease return healings in 90% of cases, especially in anorexia.

What is the role of the nutritionist?

If specialized in eating disorders, the nutritionist plays a key role. He is called to help the patient get out of his obsessions, gradually accepting the integration of new foods and the modification of his body. Nutritionists often intercept the problem before therapists, intervening with weight loss programs in childhood and adolescent obesity. Italy is the first country in Europe for childhood obesity and children affected by DCA were often obese children or asked their parents to be accompanied by a specialist for a diet. It is therefore essential that the nutritionist realizes promptly if there is a risk of a disease, because he can be of great help by intercepting the first signs.