Which of the following is a side effect of anorexia nervosa?

• A. Starvation
• B. Eating disorder where a person stops eating to be thin
• C. Reproductive system problems
• D. Bulimia

Answer: (A)

Starvation is the direct result of the extreme restriction of calories that defines anorexia nervosa. When someone limits food intake so severely, the body quickly enters a state of energy deprivation, making starvation a primary, defining consequence of the disorder. The other options describe either the disorder itself, a different eating disorder, or a secondary consequence that can occur but is not the immediate, hallmark effect. Reproductive system changes can happen due to hormonal shifts from prolonged starvation, but the most direct and universal side effect tied to the behavior is the starvation itself.