Does Al Sharpton have an eating disorder? Expert says...

It seems that with each edition of MSNBC's "Politics Nation," show host Rev. Al Sharpton gets slimmer and slimmer, ever more similar in appearance to a tamarind.

AP/Carolyn Kaster

He's been losing weight for the past several years after spending much of his time in the public eye, overweight and wearing tracksuits. He now weighs less than 140 lbs., according to the Washington Post, which covered a recent appearance of Sharpton's at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in Washington, D.C.

Asked at the event about his near-alarming weight loss, Sharpton said, "I no longer eat meat. I no longer eat any sugar, I don’t eat starches. I only eat whole wheat toast to work out. And I don’t eat anything after 6 in the evening."

His daily diet consist of wheat toast, salad and the occasional banana and hot tea, according to reports. It's a diet that accompanies a daily mixed workout on the treadmill, bicycling and aerobics.

Is all that exercise with so little food...healthy?

"Sharpton needed to lose weight, but he could be on a very slippery slope if he’s not careful," fitness and nutrition expert Dani Shugart told TheBlaze. "His diet is either going to be a long-term eating disorder, or the first phase of a yo-yo diet."

By "yo-yo diet," Shugart, a published author and certified fitness-nutrition specialist who has not treated Sharpton, means he could end up rapidly gaining back all the weight he lost.

"Al Sharpton's diet of salad, toast and a banana wouldn't be appropriate for a 5-year-old girl, let alone a grown man who exercises regularly," she said.

A Sharpton spokeswoman did not return request for comment.

According to Shugart, who hosts the website GoodGirlFitness out of Colorado Springs, Colo., the limited calories Sharpton is consuming, coupled with his workout routine, is resulting in his body extracting needed energy from his muscles, including his heart. "I'd consider his behavior bordering on disordered eating," she said.

Last month, Shugart published the book "The Sound of Secrets: End Disordered Eating. Reinvent Your Beauty. Become Your Best." It tells the story of her sister who died after suffering 15 years with anorexia.

Of Sharpton, Shugart continued: "If Sharpton decides to start eating sufficiently again, he will likely have a major rebound effect to deal with. When people go on very low-calorie diets, their bodies eventually demand compensation, and this generally means overindulgence for an extended period of time."

Sharpton may re-balloon right before his audience's eyes, She said.

@eScarry