Courtney Love claims she lost an astonishing 52 pounds over the past six months with a diet of protein shakes, fish and vegetables - but experts say her emaciated appearance indicates she's taken a disastrous path to weight loss.

Top doctors who examined recent shocking photos of the 5-foot-10 grunge goddess say she appears to have lost too much weight too quickly, and has moved into a stage of dangerous muscle-wasting.

And other observers are wondering if she's suffering from an eating disorder.

Courtney's extreme weight loss - from 182 pounds to 130 - is often the sign of a deadly eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, warn the experts. "This young woman looks like a Holocaust survivor," declared Dr. G. Michael Steelman, a nationally known weight-loss expert from Oklahoma City. "She appears to be starving herself. She has gone way too far with her weight loss. "Her very thin arms, shoulders and legs show clearly that she has lost both fat and muscle tissue. "This is definitely not healthy - in fact, it's not even safe."

Courtney should be very worried about her health right now, says Dr. Steelman, who has not treated the singer.

"She appears to be in bad shape and could suffer serious consequences. Losing that much weight that fast can be disastrous. "You raise your risks for dangerous heart attacks, arrhythmias and liver problems.

"You also run the risk of developing serious neurological problems, including depression, seizures, fainting spells, coma - or even death." Pick up this week's ENQUIRER for more details!