Volume 71 Number 3 May 2004	back to contents

From the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY.

Address all correspondence to Vaughn I. Rickert, Psy.D., Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, 60 Haven Avenue, B-3, New York, NY 10032; email: vir@columbia.edu

Accepted for publication February 2004.

ABSTRACT
Adequate nutrition is essential during adolescence, since growth and development during this period play key roles in achieving normal adult size and reproductive capacity. This article briefly reviews recommended caloric intake; the healthy balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein; and the appropriate dietary intake of iron, folic acid and calcium for the adolescent. A major potential obstacle to good nutrition for an adolescent is the development of an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa, characterized by severe underweight, fear of gaining weight, and low self-esteem and amenorrhea, is associated with many physiological and psychological complications with which the provider must be familiar. Similarly, bulimia nervosa, which presents with eating binges followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, diet pill abuse and overexercise, may be harder to detect, but can also have devastating consequences, both physically and emotionally, for a young person. Both of these disorders are best treated by a multidisciplinary team of specialists to address the medical, psychological, and nutritional components of these illnesses.

KEY WORDS
Adolescence, nutrition, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, eating disorders, adolescent health.

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