Before we talk directly about Eugenia Cooney, I first want to highlight how big of a problem
eating disorders are. Over 70 million people live with eating disorders globally
and one person dies every hour. Let me say that again. One person dies every hour.
Now I’m sure Eugenia needs no introduction to most of you but she currently has over 2 million
YouTube subscribers and over the last 5 years her appearance has sparked a wildfire of controversy
with many calling for Eugenia to be removed from social media platforms.
Now I am not interested in the controversy surrounding Eugenia I am simply interested
as a nutritionist in highlighting how serious and common eating disorders are
and also highlighting the current dangers for Eugenia’s body because I
think things are getting perilous again. Finally, a quick trigger warning here
I am talking about disordered eating patterns and showing some graphic images. Please switch
off this video if you are dealing with an eating disorder and if you suspect you
maybe suffering with disordered eating patterns then please seek the correct medical attention.
Now it wasn’t until 2019 and an interview with Shane Dawson that Eugenia acknowledged publicly
that she was suffering with an eating disorder and at that she had sought out treatment.
So, some of the main types of eating disorders are anorexia, avoidant/restrictive food intake
disorder, binge eating disorder, bulimia and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder.
Eating disorders are physical and mental illnesses that directly shape a person’s relationship with
food and or their body image. People like Eugenia that suffer with eating disorders can often have
excessive thoughts surrounding food, as well as excessive thoughts around their body weight or
shape or even how to control their intake of food. Now only Eugenia and her medical team know what
forms of eating disorders she is suffering with. It maybe one. It maybe multiple. And this is all
irrelevant here. What we do know is that regardless of what Eugenia is suffering with
it will not only be affecting and harming her body it will also be
affecting and potentially harming her mind. The impacts on her body are likely to range
from minor issues such as dry skin, brittle hair and nails all the way through to some potentially
serious problems that we will cover off now. So, when we are talking about Eugenia’s body
one of the first areas that we absolutely need to talk about is malnutrition and dehydration.
And restricted eating patterns have the potential to cause severe deficiencies.
Malnutrition is essentially where your body isn’t getting an adequate supply
of proteins and nutrients. Dehydration is the process where the body is not
getting adequate fluids to work correctly. Malnutrition is likely to significantly
lower a person’s immune function and lead to numerous different body problems such as
anaemia and if Eugenia’s eating patterns are leading her down a chronic dehydration route,
then this can cause everything from fatigue, muscle cramping, constipation,
seizures and potentially even kidney failure. Having covered off malnutrition and dehydration
then this has the potential to cause heart problems. Eating disorders can have
dire consequences for the heart muscle with anorexia being one of the most detrimental.
So, when someone is battling an eating disorder and their body is not getting sufficient calories,
the body can and will start breaking down its own tissues and muscles for fuel.
The most important muscle in the body to sustain life is the heart muscle and
when the heart doesn’t get sufficient fuel from dietary sources and it starts to be broken down
then that person, in this case Eugenia, has a significantly increased risk of heart failure.
Beyond this Eugenia may also be at a significantly increased risk of serious heart arrhythmias as
she may not be getting essential minerals and electrolytes in her diet, all of which
are critical for normal heart function. Next up when assessing Eugenias potential
problems - we come to the stomach. If Eugenia is chronically restricting her
food which is fairly evident then this has the real potential to trigger gastroparesis. This
is a long-term condition where her stomach potentially won’t empty in the normal way.
If this is something that Eugenia is currently struggling with then she maybe experiencing
symptoms such as pain and bloating, vomiting and nausea, spikes in her blood sugar levels
and she will also be at increased risk from serious bacteria infections where
her food and bacteria are stagnant in the gut. Now if Eugenia is suffering from Gastroparesis
types of issues then it is also likely to impact on her teeth and oesophagus.
The oesophagus a muscular tube that connects the mouth and the stomach.
If Eugenia is having stagnant food in the stomach due to gastroparesis
issues then this can cause acid to travel up into the oesophagus and cause damage here
and also potentially damage to her teeth. Now again we don’t know the specifics of all
the eating disorders that Eugenia is potentially suffering with, but if it is anorexia combined
with something like purging or bulimia then this excessive vomiting will also cause significant
damage to her oesophagus and teeth due to the corrosive nature of the stomach acid.
And again, I’m not saying that Eugenia is purging or is even suffering with bulimia, but for people
who are dealing with these illnesses then the net negative effect could be a ruptured oesophagus
which is a very serious medical problem. As a result of potential gut and stomach issues,
dehydration and malnutrition then feasibly Eugenia maybe suffering from hormonal imbalances and
issues. So, when we as humans eat fat, these fats and fatty acids are utilised
by the body to produce hormones. So let me just repeat that, fats are the
backbone of hormone production in the body. Now I can only speculate that Eugenia may not
be getting sufficient fats in her diet. And if this is the case then her levels of sex hormones
such as oestrogen can fall to very low levels. But these problems don’t just stop with the sex
hormones, Eugenia’s thyroid function could also be significantly impeded and this could result in
many many issues such as loss of period as well as significant bone loss in the body.
Before we move onto Eugenia’s mental health state then the last area that I want to
quickly touch upon is how her eating disorder is likely affecting her brain function. Now,
most of you watching may know that the brain is calorie intensive.
But maybe you didn’t know that despite having a weight of around just 3 pounds,
the brain will utilise approximately 20% of all the calories you put into the body.
As a consequence, if Eugenia’s brain is not getting fed an adequate supply of nutrients,
then it is likely she will be suffering from brain fog and also mental clarity and cognition issues.
And all of this leads us to the psychological effects that Eugenia’s eating patterns
maybe having on her. At their route eating disorders are serious mental health problems.
Like I alluded to earlier on, eating disorders are characterised by physical and mental illnesses
that directly shape a person’s relationship with food and or their body image. So,
for many people dealing with eating disorders then they may also be suffering with low self-esteem,
anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts as well as distorted thinking patterns. The person may
also be engaging in things like self harming. Like a heroin user or a drug addict Eugenia’s
disordered eating patterns are not just a phase or a social media trend, they are medical illnesses
that are very frequently life threatening. Now I made this video about Eugenia not for
clicks or views. I am genuinely concerned that after a period of time that she seemed
to be stable and improving, her weight and mental state appear to be deteriorating again.
And I want anyone who is watching this to understand the severity of the situation.
I also believe that Eugenia needs to take much more responsibility
over the content that she is making although this maybe difficult given her mental state.
Her latest video is titled transforming myself into a mermaid. Clearly with a title like that
many impressionable younger viewers are likely to watch the video and be exposed to her content.
If some of these viewers are potentially susceptible to disordered eating patterns,
then both YouTube and Eugenia have an absolute duty of care to these people here.
When it comes to illnesses such as anorexia half of all these deaths are due to suicide
and the other half of deaths are due to physical complications.
So, if you know Eugenia personally then please engage and support
and encourage further treatment. Or if you are someone who is battling an eating disorder,
then like I said at the start of the video please engage with suitably qualified medical teams.
If you enjoyed this video, then check out this one here because I’m sure you will find this
equally interesting. And the only other thing that is left for me to say is remember to look
after your body because it’s the only place you have to live, and I’ll see you next time.