7. Cancer And Treatment Side Effects
Those with cancer may experience an altered sense of smell or taste which can hamper their appetite. A tumor may sometimes grow, interfering with feelings of hunger. Cancers of the ovaries, colon, stomach, or pancreas, may all cause a loss of appetite.
According to the American Cancer Society, the side effects of the treatment can also cause a reduction in appetite. Some tips below can help you get in more food. But always contact the doctor if you aren’t able to eat anything for a day or more, or if you lose over 5 pounds. If your urine turns dark or you don’t urinate for over a day, or fail to pass a bowel movement for 2 days, it is again reason enough to reach out to a medical professional. Pain while eating and trouble keeping down liquids are other reasons to contact your doctor.
How to cope: Don’t try and eat big meals. Instead, have several mini meals throughout the day and work them into your treatment regimen so that you treat food as a necessity and not something you necessarily do for pleasure. Increase the calorie content of the food you do eat so it is nutrient-dense and calorie-rich – for instance, try adding healthy fats such as coconut oil, avocados, or olive oil to your diet.
Make food easier to eat by cutting them into small morsels, using lots of gravy or sauce so it goes down easier. Distract yourself at mealtimes by always eating with company or while listening to music or watching something on television. Suck on a hard candy, sip some mint tea, or drink ginger ale to cut any odd aftertaste in your mouth from your treatment or health problems.
8. HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can cause weight loss as a result of a loss of appetite. You may not feel hungry due to opportunistic infections like candidiasis, cryptosporidiosis, isosporiasis, mycobacterium avium complex, or tuberculosis. These tend to make the most of the low immunity of your body to attack.
You could also lose your will to eat because of HIV wasting syndrome. This is diagnosed as a condition where you lose over 10 percent of your body weight. It may result in a total loss of appetite or cause you to feel full after eating very little. You might also have bouts of diarrhea or low-grade fever.
How to cope: You may need to eat high-calorie meals that are rich in protein to prevent all your muscle from wasting away. Include foods like cheeses, legumes, eggs, peanut butter, sauces, and even milkshakes and instant breakfast drinks that go down easily in your meal plan. Also try and do some strength building exercises like gentle weight lifting or resistance training.
9. Liver Problems And Jaundice
Liver disease and early stage liver failure are marked by a loss of appetite along with nausea, diarrhea, and fatigue. As the condition progresses, you may also find yourself feeling confused, disoriented, or very sleepy. Prompt and timely treatment is critical to prevent the chance of a coma or even death. If you have not caught the problem early when it was liver inflammation, which has no visible symptoms, or fibrosis that is marked by scarring of the liver, you may develop cirrhosis. This eventually leads to liver failure if left untreated.
Symptoms of cirrhosis include easily bruising, easily bleeding, jaundiced yellow eyes and skin, water buildup in the abdomen and legs, toxic buildup, and itchy skin.21 Hepatitis and chronic liver disease are other liver problems that have similar effects on your appetite.
How to cope: If your liver problems are rooted in fatty liver disease or alcohol consumption, abstain from drinking alcohol for a few weeks. After that, only drink within recommended guidelines if you must. Those with alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis should give up alcohol for life, according to the National Health Service. After treatment, as other symptoms ease, your appetite may also improve again.
10. Medication Side Effects
Certain medications may cause a loss of appetite. You may not feel very hungry and may not want to eat at all. These include chemotherapy drugs, morphine, codeine, and antibiotics. In addition, if you use drugs like heroin, cocaine, or amphetamines like “speed,” you could end up killing your appetite as well.
How to cope: If there are no alternative medications you can take, you will need to learn to just eat because you have to. However, if you’re abusing street drugs, there are many reasons to try and quit for your health overall. Get professional help if you need to.
11. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, a term used to describe a range of progressive lung diseases like chronic bronchitis, some kinds of bronchiectasis, emphysema, and refractory asthma, can cause appetite loss in addition to breathlessness, tightness of the chest, wheezing, and frequent coughing.25 This anorexia develops as a result of inflammation as well as hormonal derangement. Those with the problem tend to consume fewer calories than they burn. Breathing becomes more of an effort and costs more oxygen. Which is why those with COPD tend to have low body weight.
How to cope: Besides treatment for COPD, which may include medication as well as cutting out triggers of lung irritation (including smoking), increasing nutritional intake may help. Nutritional supplements along with pulmonary rehabilitation to improve breathing can also improve the condition.
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