Recovering from anorexia nervosa by machine

Abstract

Any healthy person can develop anorexia nervosa. Prolonged dieting causes reversible endocrine changes that emerge to combat starvation, the main threat to survival. Animals have evolved to develop strategies to cope with this challenge, assisted by hormonal systems that facilitate food hoarding but which can also inhibit eating, reinforcing the anorexic state. However, a simple machine that provides feedback on how to eat can allow patients to escape from anorexia and restore their health.