Sick and not Hungry

[Queso]

Why do sick people lack appetite?

[Jay-qu]

I dont know, interesting fact though - I had mono late last year, the doc told me I would have a loss of appetite, but if anything mine had increased :) i guess its different for everyone..

[InfiniteNow]

Just a guess really... no hard data and just pure intuition.

 

Eating requires energy to ensure the food is metabolized. When you're sick, your immune system needs as much energy as possible. Perhaps it's evolved that when we're sick we don't eat (as much) to ensure energy is directed to the right spot, not just all the blood to our stomachs.

 

 

Hmmm... now that I think about it, not eating would result in not enough energy... hmmm... not sure. Interesting question indeed. :eek_big:

[chamilton333]

Well, here is the answer you’ve all been waiting for..... The food in your stomach leaves to the intestine, so there is almost nothing left in your stomach, so what happens is the stomach shrinks. It is like a vacuum. Usually, when you are hungry, you eat before your stomach shrinks. But stomach shrinking usually occurs when you are in deep sleep, because if you were sleeping lightly it would wake you up. By the time you wake up, you don’t feel hungry.