Loss of appetite

Loss of appetite can be due to a number of causes which include travel sickness, common cold, depression as well as eating the wrong kind of food. If appetite loss continues for more than a week, you must consult your doctor.

Appetite is regulated by appestat which is the sensory area of the brain that gauges and sends out hormones that tell the body it is time to eat.

When the appestat malfunctions due to an unbalanced diet, poor health or a hormone imbalance, wrong messages are transmitted to the body with a result that a well-fed person may feel hungry or somebody who is undernourished may have no appetite at all.

When appetite loss is associated with a simple disorder such as hangover or indigestion, the appetite will return once the condition has cleared up.

If you eat a lot of snacks which upset your eating patterns, try to regain your appetite back by eating fruits like bananas.

Appetite loss is caused by lack of zinc and potassium by inhibiting the smooth functioning of the appestat and thus reducing the desire to eat. Foods rich in zinc include crabs, oysters, lobsters, lean meat and poultry products.

It can also be caused by an excessive intake of vitamin D, however, this is unlikely to occur unless the vitamin is taken in tablet form. Zinc absorption may be inhibited by eating a lot of bran, taking iron supplements or by drinking too much alcohol.

Zinc reserves are also depleted by physical exercise, stress and the periods of rapid growth during puberty.