The girl who must eat every 15 minutes to stay alive

telegraph.co.uk/ ^ | 6-28-10

[Justaham]

Lizzie Velasquez weighs just four stone and has almost zero per cent body fat but she is not anorexic. In fact, the 21-year-old from Austin, Texas, must eat every 15 minutes to stay healthy.

Miss Velasquez has a rare condition which prevents her from gaining weight even though she eats up to 60 small meals a day.

[GeronL]

Now that is strange.

[stinkerpot65]

Poor girl.

[TSgt]

More here: http://www.aboutlizzie.com/

[central_va]

Her genetic code offers hope for man-kind, please help/study her.

[central_va]

Her genetic code offers hope for man-kind, please help/study her.

[James C. Bennett]

Miss Velasquez's case has fascinated doctors all over the world and she is part of a genetic study run by Professor Abhimanyu Garg, MD, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

Professor Garg and his team now believe Lizzie may have a form of Neonatal Progeroid Syndrome (NPS) which causes accelerated ageing, fat loss from the face and body, and tissue degeneration. People with PRS often have triangular and prematurely aged faces with a pointy nose.

He said: "I am aware of a small number of people that have similar conditions to Lizzie but each case is slightly different.

"We cannot predict what will happen to Lizzie in the future as the medical community are yet to document older people with NPS.

"However Lizzie is lucky to have healthy teeth, organs and bones so the outlook is good. We will continue to study her case and learn from her." Miss Velasquez has helped to write a book about her incredible experiences

[humblegunner]

The crack pipe is a killer.

[Michael Barnes]

Especially when posting.

[dynachrome]

“I’d hit it.”

~ Bill Clinton

[Popman]

I assume she sleeps. How does one eat every 15 minutes and still sleep.

Also what about super protein shakes, body builders drink 5,000 calories meals when training

[omega4179]

It is called Anorexia Nervosa.

[Justaham]

Yup -— and also when replying to a post!

[caseinpoint]

“I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic.”

Can you say “empty calories?” Most of that is nuitrient-deficient, at the very least. Lots of carbs and little protein.

[ConservativeMan55]

bttt

[caseinpoint]

“I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic.”

Can you say “empty calories?” Most of that is nutrient-deficient, at the very least. Lots of carbs and little protein. If you have a metabolic problem like this, I should think every calorie taken in should be loaded with the best nutrients possible.

[caseinpoint]

Sory for the double post. My computer is having lag problems. And we’ve had two power outages here, probably from the heat. It’s 4:30 here in California Central Valley and 101 degrees.

[2aberro]

I eat small portions of crisps, sweets, chocolate, pizza, chicken, cake, doughnuts, ice cream, noodles and pop tarts all day long, so I get pretty upset when people accuse me of being anorexic.”

Sweetheart,,, dump all that stuff,,,eat cornbread, collard greens,, fried taters, salty side meat, beer and pizza.... Heck,, cook up a pound of bacon with six biscuits and gravy for breakfast,,, I guarantee,, you will gain weight.. worked for me,, I use to be a light weight,, now I can barely get through the front door of my double-wide ;-)

[Nepeta]

Can you say “empty calories?” Most of that is nutrient-deficient, at the very least. Lots of carbs and little protein. If you have a metabolic problem like this, I should think every calorie taken in should be loaded with the best nutrients possible.

That isn't the way nutrition works. If you are doing a lot of physical work, you need more energy, not more protein. Energy comes from fats and carbohydrates. You can use protein for energy, but not as efficiently, and it is a waste of quality protein. This woman has normal bones and teeth, so she is absorbing minerals properly. She did not stay childlike, so she has grown. She appears to have a problem processing sources of energy, or burning through them at a phenomenal clip.

[Scarpetta]

She has amazingly large hooters for such a skinny girl.