The Starvation Syndrome
One of the most important advancements in the understanding of eating disorders is the recognition that many of the symptoms once thought to be primary features of anorexia nervosa are actually symptoms of starvation. An experimental study, conducted and published 50 years ago by Ancel Keys and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota (Keys, Brozek, Henschel, Mickelsen & Taylor, 1950) is the best example of the wide-ranging physical, cognitive, social and behavioural effects of starvation, initially thought to be the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. The subjects of the study were 36 healthy young men who volunteered as an alternative to military service. »
