Just like being overweight, being underweight can pose specific health risks. Because “thin” does not necessarily mean “healthy”. What are the risks to health and how to treat underweight, you can learn here.
Health risks of being underweight
Those who are underweight are not only thin, but can also develop diabetes (diabetes) just like normal or overweight people. Underweight people are much more prone to osteoporosis and to infections than people of normal weight.
High susceptibility to infections due to lack of leptin
One reason for the increased susceptibility to infections is the lowered level of the protein “leptin” in the body cells in underweight people. This “satiety hormone” not only reduces appetite and thus ensures energy balance. Leptin is a messenger substance and informs the body about the energy currently available in the body cells. The more fat is stored in the fat cells, the more leptin is released.
However, if the energy reserves are depleted due to malnutrition or intake disorders, the leptin level drops. As a result, all body functions that are not immediately vital are shut down. For the immune system, this means that defense cells are less active, harder to activate, and their maturation is slower.
Therapy for underweight
Underweight people are not helped by whipped cream alone. Thus, the cause of underweight must first be clarified, a diet must be initiated.
The goal of nutrition-based therapy must always be to compensate for any deficiencies without creating new health problems. Pure whipped cream is therefore good in the long run at most to drive up the cholesterol level – but not to weigh more in the long term in a healthy way.
Underweight people can be treated with nutritional therapy in the same way as anorexics, although not all underweight people automatically need psychological support. If high-calorie therapies do not work, astronaut diets or even feeding tubes may have to be resorted to.
