Treatment for inpatients with anorexia nervosa: comparison of liquid formula with regular meals for improvement from emaciation.

A new refeeding program using only liquid formula was given to six anorexic inpatients (LF group) at the initial stage of hospitalization. These patients were compared with six other inpatients who received regular meals (RM group). The LF group did not develop a phobia of gaining weight, while the RM group showed a vicious cycle of gastrointestinal discomforts leading to fat phobia and stagnation in weight gain. By comparison, the LF group had fewer gastrointestinal symptoms, which resulted in the disruption of this cycle and seemed to help motivate these patients to obtain a steady gain in bodyweight.