Expert: Ryan Hale - 3/6/2010

Question
hi,
i am a 16 year old girl recovering from anorexia. my lowest weight was 43-44kg and currently i weigh 46.5 and am 166cm tall. i have been in recovery since... november 2009 and haven't gained much weight yet :/
anyway, i had an EKG done a week and a half ago, and my heartrate was 50 BPM.i wasnt sleeping or anything, just lying pretty still. i dont know whether or not to be a little concerned about it, as i have read a heart rate that low can be dangerous? i am not particuarly fit either, as i have not been allowed to exercise for a few months now.
thanks for your time :)

Answer
Holly-  a heart rate of 50 for a trained athlete is not surprising because they have developed the ability to pump so much blood with one heart beat that they don't need a faster beating heart.  For someone who is not working our or particularly fit is concerning.  Your body has switched into a state of not working any harder than it has to to keep you alive... that includes your heart.  Because of the deprivation, your body believes that you need to conserve energy and it is slowing your basic functions down to do that.  The leading cause of death among people with eating disorders is heart failure.  If your eating condition were to get worse, you could be close to having some serious heart trouble!  Luckily, it sounds like you are under medical care and getting better.  Follow your doctor's instructions and as you get better, your body will slowly return to its normal state.