Increased appetite is the consumption of large amounts of food, caused by a constant feeling of hunger. In women, the symptom is most often detected during premenstrual syndrome and pregnancy. Increased craving for food is also associated with endocrine pathology, parasitic invasions, and dehydration of the body. To determine the cause of increased appetite, a blood test for hormones, ultrasound, radioisotope scintigraphy, and CT scans are performed. To eliminate eating disorders, medication or psychotherapy is prescribed, which affect the etiological factor.
Scientists have proven that regular consumption of certain foods causes an increase in appetite. First of all, they include spicy, salty and spicy dishes that irritate the gastric mucosa and increase the production of digestive juices. As a result, a person needs large amounts of food to be satiated. Similar manifestations also develop with the daily eating of apples, which contain enzymes and organic acids.
A strong feeling of hunger is provoked by the use of sweets or white bread, which contain a large amount of simple carbohydrates. These foods cause a spike in blood glucose levels and a corresponding rise in insulin. As a result of the action of the hormone, the sugar concentration drops below normal after a couple of hours, again there is a desire to eat.
Sharp fluctuations in hormones before menstruation is the most common cause of increased appetite in women. The calorie content of the diet increases 2-3 days before menstruation, during this period there is a constant strong feeling of hunger, some girls are characterized by an irresistible craving for sweets. Eating disorders in premenstrual syndrome are usually noted against the background of nervousness, irritability, and insomnia. The symptom disappears with the onset of menstruation.
Sometimes a strong desire to eat disturbs women during ovulation, when sex hormones reach their maximum concentration in the blood. With the onset of the luteal phase of the cycle, the condition returns to normal. An increase in appetite, which is not accompanied by other unpleasant sensations, is a variant of the norm. If the disorder is regularly aggravated by severe chest pain, malaise, nausea before menstruation, you should visit a gynecologist.
Many people have a habit of "seizing" problems with sweets or other favorite foods. After eating delicious, mood improves for a short time, since eating stimulates the formation of endogenous endorphins. In a stressful state, control over the amount of food is disturbed, patients are able to eat a whole cake or a large bucket of ice cream in one evening. At the same time, the feeling of fullness comes more slowly than usual.
If increased appetite is associated with a short-term emotional shock, then after a few days the diet returns to normal. With chronic stress, periods of gluttony drag on for weeks and months, combined with constant apathy, loss of strength. In this state, a person needs the help of a specialist, because without appropriate therapy, stress develops into psychosomatic illnesses.
The habit of "jamming stress" is more common in women
The constant desire to eat something during pregnancy is caused by two main reasons: an increase in progesterone production and an unstable emotional state. In women who do not suffer from toxicosis, increased appetite is noted already in the first trimester, but in most pregnant women, "zhor" occurs in the second half of the gestational age. This is accompanied by rapid weight gain, fatigue and shortness of breath even when walking at a slow pace.
In the period of convalescence, general exhaustion and asthenovegetative syndrome are observed, therefore, in order to replenish the lost reserves, the body needs enhanced nutrition. Appetite increases, while there are no characteristic taste preferences. Patients with the same desire eat the first and second courses, sweets. Gradually, the processes of metabolism and digestion of products in the gastrointestinal tract are normalized, the kilograms lost during the disease are returned.
In the first days after recovery, reduced bowel function remains, so eating a large amount of high-calorie food sometimes causes heaviness and bloating, nausea, and stool disorders. Increased appetite persists for about 7-1 days. Various reasons lead to an excessive desire to eat: prolonged bacterial and viral infections, severe damage to the lungs, kidneys, and female reproductive organs.
An abnormal increase in appetite is one of the first signs of type 1 diabetes, which is more common in children and adolescents, but sometimes begins in adulthood. A person experiences constant hunger, the frequency of meals increases to 5-6 times a day, between them there are often snacks. A characteristic feature is that despite the sharply increased calorie content of the menu, weight is reduced, in a couple of months patients lose up to 5-7 kilograms.
In type 2 diabetes, increased appetite is also of concern, but this symptom is often primary in relation to endocrine disease. First, metabolism is disturbed and hypercholesterolemia occurs, provoked by regular overeating, and then glucose metabolism changes. The feeling of hunger in patients with diabetes mellitus is accompanied by other pathognomonic symptoms: severe thirst, increased urine volume, frequent headaches, general weakness.
Thyroid hormones increase metabolism and stimulate the breakdown of fat reserves, therefore, with their pathological increase, appetite increases excessively. Thyrotoxicosis is caused by various causes: diffuse toxic goiter, subacute thyroiditis, tumors. The amount of food consumed increases significantly, there is practically no feeling of fullness, but these symptoms are combined with gradual weight loss.
“False” increased appetite occurs when a person mistakenly perceives a feeling of thirst for a feeling of hunger. Their regulatory centers are located in the hypothalamus, quite close to each other, so the spread of excitation from one focus to another is not excluded. With a lack of water in the body, the appetite increases regardless of the time that has passed since the last meal, "hunger" does not disappear after a snack.
Helminths that live in the intestinal lumen (teniarinhoz, ascariasis) feed on particles of food consumed. Therefore, parasitic causes often cause an increase in appetite. Portions of food increase significantly, a persistent feeling of hunger forces the patient to take additional snacks between main meals. Weight with helminthiasis remains at the same level, sometimes a decrease in body weight by several kilograms is possible.
Degenerative processes in the brain are a common cause associated with increased appetite in the elderly and senile age. Patients with dementia can eat up to 6-7 times a day without feeling full, which is due to dysfunction of the cerebral cortex. When trying to limit the patient in portions or the frequency of meals, a very violent, even aggressive reaction occurs. A similar clinical picture develops in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder.
In women, treatment with oral contraceptives and other estrogen preparations increases the feeling of hunger. With the wrong selection of dosage against the background of excessive appetite, a rapid weight gain occurs. Strong hunger is also felt 20-25 minutes after an insulin injection, when blood sugar levels drop. The symptom is also provoked by other medical causes: oral hypoglycemic agents, anabolic steroids, psychotropic drugs.
With a constantly increased appetite for no apparent reason, it is necessary to consult a general practitioner who is responsible for the initial examination of patients. Diagnostic search involves the study of the work of the endocrine and nervous systems, in the presence of other suspicious symptoms, additional studies are prescribed. The most informative diagnostic methods:
Uncontrolled appetite - a reason for an in-depth medical examination
Increased appetite due to previous depletion of the body due to severe pathology or associated with hormonal surges in women does not require specific therapy. Eating behavior normalizes within a few days, the general condition remains satisfactory. If the feeling of hunger is caused by stressful situations, the use of certain products, you can cope with it yourself.
Doctors recommend increasing the content of protein foods in the diet, as they provide a long-lasting feeling of fullness. Fiber-rich foods help increase portion sizes and fill your stomach while being low in calories. To improve the emotional state, auto-training methods and psychological consultations are needed. Increased appetite, accompanied by general malaise - an indication for a visit to the doctor.
Medical tactics for eating disorders depends on the cause of their occurrence. With prolonged depression and severe mental disorders, a psychiatrist selects specific drugs based on the degree of violation of the emotional-volitional and intellectual spheres. If increased appetite is due to somatic diseases, etiotropic and pathogenetic therapy is prescribed: