Bruce Willis’ dementia: Subtle eating habit changes that can be a symptom of FTD

Hyperphagia, fixations on certain types of food and eating inanimate objects could be a sign that you're at risk of developing frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

An uncommon form of the disease, FTD has become more widely known in recent years due to actor Bruce Willis' diagnosis.

Following the Die Hard actor's retirement from the entertainment industry in 2022, he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a form of the disease which impacts a person's behaviour and language.

While Willis himself now lives outside of the public eye, his wife, Emma Heming Willis, and adult daughters have provided updates on his life and condition.

What is frontotemporal dementia (FTD) – and how does it change your eating habits?

According to the NHS, it causes a range of symptoms, such as personality and behaviour changes, which could be acting inappropriately or impulsively, appearing selfish or unsympathetic, neglecting personal hygiene, overeating, or loss of motivation.

Bruce Willis was diagnosed with dementia in 2023 (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Image)

They might develop language problems such as speaking slowly, struggling to make the right sounds when saying a word, getting words in the wrong order, or using words incorrectly.

They could have problems with mental abilities, or memory problems, or even physical issues.

These things can make it hard to function and complete daily tasks.

But experts say that the way a person eats can also be an indicator of the disease, particularly when it lines up with 'obsessive and repetitive behaviours’ that can occur in those suffering.

For example, patients may eat non-food items (PICA), eat only one food, or steal food from others.

Of course, PICA - a condition where people will eat non-food items, which might be caused by vitamin deficiencies - in itself, isn’t a sign of dementia.

However, if it’s being seen alongside other worrying symptoms, it could be part of the condition.

Experts say FTD can cause different eating habits (Getty Stock Images)

“Frontotemporal dementia is associated with a wide variety of abnormal eating behaviours such as hyperphagia (insatiable hunger), fixations on one kind of food, even ingestion of inanimate objects,” a paper on the topic claimed.

“These behaviours are problematic, of course, socially, but also with regard to patients’ health as they tend to gain weight,” said Dr Marilena Aiello, a neuroscientist who was involved in a systemic review of FTD.

She added: “Even if individual consequences are different.”

However, ‘some people lose weight because they eat a narrow range of foods in an obsessive way’.

As for this reason behind this, nobody is quite sure, but it is ‘likely due to many factors’.

“It may involve an alteration of the autonomic nervous system, characterised by an altered assessment of the body’s signals, such as hunger, satiety, and appetite. Damage to the hypothalamus can cause a loss of inhibitory signals, causing behaviours such as overeating,” the researcher said.

But ‘there are probably sensory and cognitive factors that can complicate the picture... In patients who eat objects, for example, there is perhaps a semantic problem of recognising the object of and its function’.

Emma Heming Willis speaks often about her husband's condition and her role as a carer (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Bruce Willis has been suffering from the condition since 2023.

His wife, Emma Heming Willis, opened up in an ABC special, sharing the celebrity's ongoing journey with dementia.

The Die Hard, The Sixth Sense, and Pulp Fiction actor, retired in 2022 due to his declining health and aphasia diagnosis.

She wrote online at the time: "We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him.

"As Bruce always says, 'Live it up' and together we plan to do just that."

In February of 2023, Rumer Willis, Bruce’s daughter, shared that his aphasia had progressed to frontotemporal dementia.

She said in this statement: “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces.

“While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis.”

Bruce Willis is supported by his wife, Emma, as well as ex-wife Demi Moore and their daughters (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for goop)

Having given regular updates on his life, condition and decline, Emma previously spoke about his condition with ABC, saying: “Bruce is in really great health overall, you know. It's just his brain that is failing him.

“The language is going, and, you know, we've learned to adapt. We have a way of communicating with him, which is just a different, a different way."

Last year, she made the heartbreaking decision to move her husband into a second home so that he could have the care he needs.

Calling it the 'hardest decision I've had to make', it’ll allow him to get around-the-clock care from professionals.