Adapted to Famine: The Evolutionary Sense of Anorexia Nervosa | Interview with Shan Guisinger, Ph.D.

5 DELICIOUS DINNER RECIPES to support your weight loss:

Shan Guisinger received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley and completed postdoctoral work at the Yale University Eating Disorders Clinic.

She has over 30 years experience treating people with eating disorders. Shan has authored theoretical articles on the evolution of anorexia nervosa and interpersonal relations for the prestigious journals, The American Psychologist and Psychological Review. She is writing a treatment manual on anorexia nervosa for American Psychological Association Press.

Guisinger believes that we must analyze eating disorders and obesity in the context of our evolutionary history and behavioral ecology. Most eating and weight problems today have their roots adaptions to survive famine. The dysfunctional behaviors are mediated primarily by complex biological mechanisms rather than individual choice.

The adapted-to-flee-famine hypothesis (AFFH) proposes that AN is caused by ancient adaptations selected when migration was indeed the best solution to local famine; then individuals high in self-control, energy, optimism and perseverance had a selective advantage, as would their bands. All of the features of anorexia would have facilitated successful migration. Fear of eating kept migrators from being distracted by the occasional berry or bird; restless energy facilitated travel; hallucinating fat stores helped emaciated migrators convince themselves that they could keep moving. Many scouts surely died, but the genes of those individuals and bands that did expand into new rich new land would increase when the population expanded. The pattern of genetic data as humans dispersed around the world is consistent with a long series of genetic bottlenecks and founder events.

[gosiakonstanty]

Chef AJ it was one of the most interesting interview I ever heard. Thank you and please invite her one more time. She's so knowledgeable
Can't wait for her book

[jgrysiak]

This webinar was an eye-opener. My sister suffered from bulimia, it brought back a lot of memories of her & her suffering. My mother was also overweight! I am also a food addict & food binger. I am@ goal weight now. It is all under control now thanks to Chef A.J., Dr. McDougall & Dr. Jason Fung. JUST FOR TODAY!

[nazokashii]

Oh wow, Dr Guisinger was soooo extraordinary! What a fantastic presentation, very interesting, very very important! Thank you so so much for sharing and having her on <3

[Janet_Price]

I'm sorry, but I don't buy this explanation. I recovered from Anorexia and Bulimia (laxatives), but only after years of therapy. I was a psychological mess. I came from a dysfunctional family which fostered self-loathing and insecurities. I did not want to get better, I needed my eating disorder. I became interested in a different outcome when I was 47 years old and did not want to die, but didn't know how to live. I never believed happiness was for me - I believed I was meant to be sick and lonely for life. I was in an eating disorder treatment program for three months and with therapy, daily encouragement and support changed my mind! Those wonderful therapists, nurses and attendants helped me see I could be happy and deserved to be happy. Hospitalization was the easy part ~ outpatient was much harder. I learned to love myself enough to keep going. Allowing myself to eat and maintain a healthy body weight is giving myself permission to be nourished and loved. At this time, I did not have a healthy relationship with food - that came much later (ten years). I am in life long recovery ~ I never want to go there again and love myself enough not to. I have never known another woman with an eating disorder who fit the description by Dr. Shan Guisinger. It's an interesting theory, but I cannot agree. I'm 69 years old, happy and healthy. I credit a WFPB lifestyle for allowing me a great relationship with food. Janet

[noellecuisine]

Wonderful interview Chef AJ thank you so much for this!
I was aware of her work since a year or two and I do believe it would be wonderful for doctor Lyle and Jen Howk to speak and work with her on this theme combined with a healthy eating angle !
I happen to know myself of people who are interested in being ethically vegan or eating healthy and who suffer from anorexia, it would be a very enriching approach. With kind regards always, Noëlle from the Netherlands

[robyniaea]

Extraordinary talk! She looks stunning and so young! Her skin!

[norak]

What an interesting perspective! WOW eye opening to the underlying reason this condition develops!

[angelaspielbusch]

Thank you so much for sharing this video!

[hannahrl]

This is also just resonating with me about Lembke's work, when she's talking about addiction being something basically anyone can fall into - part of this bigger picture of seeing how many "sick" conditions, actually neurobiologically sane response our sick environments seem to trigger now... will be thinking about this for a time.

[alwaysneedlearn]

As someone who battled a severe eating disorder for more than 30 years (and experience severe physical problems as a result) I sincerely appreciated this interview. If someone wants to explore this perspective more, I suggest the book Decoding Anorexia by Carrie Arnold.

[SSSyndrome]

Wow. I haven't had my mind blown like that in a while. Thank you for bringing on such an enlightening guest, Chef AJ. The power of evolutionary theory to positively transform our worldviews and our lives can't be overstated.

[pixelated.peachyangel]

I still have to watch all the stream but the doctor is explaining really well this topic.

[veganseatyummyfoodtoo]

This was fantastic - thanks Chef AJ! Fascinating! :-)

[DoctorHerbivore]

A very plausible explanation for AN. If true, then, in parts of the modern-day world that experience sudden food scarcity it should be possible to find previously healthy individuals suddenly demonstrating the AN triad of hunger suppression, increased activity, and body fat illusion. Has this been shown?

[vc]

Why then, if a person is hospitalised and force fed to get their weight up, as is often the case, do they often revert and lose weight again, continuing the cycle. Why does the weight gain not take them out of the ‘Anorexia’ state and ‘cure’ them?

[shgascoi]

It’s also better if she can’t get pregnant while traveling. Anorexic women can’t get pregnant from what I understand.

[WholePlantChef]

How can she say that most people were and become thin and active before an active anorexia, when 70% of the United States population is overweight?

[karenruhlig]

I can’t find where else to ask this question so I’m going to ask it here. If your cholesterol is elevated you can use flax to decrease it correct? You are my hero so I am going straight to the source

[WholePlantChef]

How would she explain that so many anorexic recoverers become obese? Even caucasians? What is the hope for them - other than to eat a whole food plant based diet?