Premium
Vitamin status of eating disorder patients: Relationship to clinical indices and effect of treatment
Author(s) -
Rock Cheryl L.,
Vasantharajan Suparna
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199511)18:3<257::aid-eat2260180307>3.0.co;2-q
Subject(s) - psychology , clinical psychology , vitamin , psychiatry , developmental psychology , medicine
Vitamin abnormalities in eating disorder patients may contribute to altered neuropsy‐chological status and the development of sequelae such as cognitive dysfunction. We examined the relationship between vitamin status and clinical indices in 13 low‐weight patients with anorexia or bulimia nervosa at admission to a treatment program. Vitamin status was evaluated again at discharge (2–6 weeks later) in nine of these patients. Four patients (31%) initially had erythrocyte enzyme activity indices suggesting deficiency for riboflavin and for vitamin B‐6. Patients with biochemical evidence for riboflavin deficiency had lower relative body weight than those with normal riboflavin status (p < .02). Three patients (23%) had elevated plasma cholesterol concentrations (>5.69 mmol/L). Plasma retinol concentrations were within the normal range. Plasma alphatocopherol concentrations were positively associated with serum albumin (p < .04), cholesterol (p < .0003), and total lipids (p < .0003), and were inversely associated with body mass index (p < .04). At discharge, thiamin, riboflavin and vitamin B‐6 status indicators were normal in all cases examined. Suboptimal vitamin status is common in eating disorder patients but is normalized with dietary intervention and nutritional rehabilitation. © 1995 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.