The starving brainThe starving brain
All In The Mind
The pressure to be thin is more intense than ever and with around 80% of teenage girls choosing to diet some slide down the slippery slope into anorexia nervosa. While our knowledge of this puzzling disorder is still limited, some inroads of understanding are being made into what occurs in the starving brain. In this week's program we hear some of the latest scientific research into the mechanisms of anorexia, and a young woman who's on the path to recovery gives a moving insight into what she's been through.
30:08•25 Mar 2006
The Starving Brain: Anorexia, Science and One Woman’s Fight Back
Episode Overview
- Extreme dieting, low self-esteem and body dissatisfaction can act as triggers for anorexia nervosa in vulnerable people.
- Starving the body can lead to the brain burning its own myelin, affecting decision-making and the capacity to engage in therapy.
- Hormonal changes, including raised neuropeptide Y and cortisol, may drive persistent hunger signals, anxiety and altered reward from eating.
- Effective treatment depends on reversing starvation through intensive nutritional rehabilitation, alongside psychological and family support.
- Recovery can be long and mentally demanding, with ongoing intrusive thoughts, but individuals like Lizzie show that improvement is possible and worth fighting for.
“I always believed that the key to my happiness was to be thin, and the funny thing is, is that the thinner I became, the more depressed and the more isolated and the more hopeless I felt.”
This episode dives deep into the challenges and triumphs of living with anorexia nervosa, focusing on how a starving body can quite literally become a starving brain. Aimed at anyone curious about mental health, eating disorders, or the science behind extreme dieting, the conversation blends personal experience with cutting-edge research. You’ll hear from 22-year-old Lizzie Tabone, who talks candidly about sliding into anorexia after years of body dissatisfaction and restrictive dieting.
At her lowest, she survived on black coffee, mint sweets, an apple and a carrot or two, and describes anorexia as "a little evil creature inside my head" that distorted her body image and filled her mind with relentless, punishing thoughts. Psychiatrist Professor Janice Russell explains anorexia as a psychosomatic illness that starves the brain itself, possibly burning its own myelin "like throwing your antique furniture in the fire for warmth".
She outlines traits that can increase vulnerability, such as perfectionism, obsessive thinking, family conflict and experiences of neglect or abuse, and stresses that reversing starvation is essential before psychological treatment can really work. Associate Professor Herbert Herzog adds the biological angle, describing how hormones like neuropeptide Y, chronic hunger signals and stress hormones can spiral "out of control", affecting anxiety, reward and even bone formation.
His work looks at how understanding these mechanisms might one day help protect bone health and reduce long-term damage. Throughout, there’s a strong focus on recovery: intensive nutritional rehabilitation, supportive family and clinical environments, and the slow process of reclaiming decision-making as the brain heals. Lizzie’s honesty about still battling food-related thoughts, while refusing to "ever allow myself to venture down that road again", offers a realistic yet hopeful view of life after severe illness.
If you’ve ever wondered how dieting can cross the line into life-threatening illness, and what it takes to come back from that edge, this episode might give you plenty to think about.
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