"manorexia"

Q: My Grandpa is truly freaking out about how skinny he has gotten and how much muscle mass he has lost. He is down to 140lbs and I think he weighs himself a 100 times a day. Since he had pancreatitis and prostate CA he has changed his whole diet (no ETOH and eats very little fat). He exercises constantly and I don't think he eats enough due to frequent nausea/abd. pain. He also is still getting the hormone shots for his CA but he is done with radiation. He keeps asking me if he should try to drink that new Ensure for muscle mass. I can't see anything wrong with it but I wanted to check with an expert! Do you have any other ideas to help him gain some weight back. He honestly has no other health problems great BP, cholesterol, etc. and takes no meds. Thanks for your help.

A: It sounds like has "manorexia". Why is he exercising and weighing himself so much? If he's just trying to stay healthy, 30 minutes of exercise/day is just fine. Beyond that, he will probably continue to lose weight.

I think the Ensure will help him pick up some weight. If he doesn't like the taste, he can use Boost or even Slim Fast (as a supplement, not a meal replacement). Carnation Instant Breakfast is another good one to try, if he can handle milk.

Something else he may benefit from is vitamin D. A deficiency is really common with pancreatitis and his age, and it can lead to depression, prostate cancer and cardiac issues if too low (<30 ng/dL). He can have his level checked, but a safe dose is 1000 IU vitamin D3 per day.I'd also suggest a senior formula multi-vitamin to meet his RDAs if he's not eating much. Hope that helps.

Lisa