Dr. Grossi's Blog

• dieting
• low-calorie diet

In the prior blog I reported on the physical changes in 32 men in the Minnesota Study reported by Ancel Keys. Now I will report the psychological changes noted by Keys.

These changes include:

• fatigue, apathy, and feelings of sadness, gloominess, feeling blah, depressed.
• concentration, alertness, self-discipline and comprehension decreased.
• irritability, moodiness, tension, anxiety, and restlessness increased.
• spontaneous activity and interests declined.
• reduced ambition, interests and pleasure.
• feeling ineffective.
• self-perceptions were skewed to the negative and performance declined in a variety of pursuits.
• reduced libido
• reduced self-care
• some violence
• sensitivity to noise
• poorer work performance.

Clearly there are prominent changes in emotional modulation with an overall depression in a number of functions.

(Jump to the discussion of this study's results about physical changes, food preoccupation, social changes, and effects of refeeding.)