The research highlighting that anorexia is a metabolic disease could lead to the development of a medication for the problem
An international study, led by researchers at King’s and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has concluded that anorexia nervosa is partly a metabolic disease, and not purely psychiatric as previously thought.
The study, published in the journal Nature Genetics, examined the DNA of almost 17,000 people with anorexia nervosa and 55,000 healthy control subjects. The large-scale genome-wide association study, undertaken by over 100 academics worldwide, identified eight genetic variants linked to anorexia nervosa. The results suggest that the genetic origins of the disorder are both metabolic and psychiatric.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by weight loss (or lack of appropriate weight gain in growing children); difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image. People with anorexia generally restrict the number of calories and the types of food they eat. Some people with the disorder also exercise compulsively, purge via vomiting and laxatives, and/or binge eat.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by weight loss (or lack of appropriate weight gain in growing children); difficulties maintaining an appropriate body weight for height, age, and stature; and, in many individuals, distorted body image
Anorexia can affect people of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, races, and ethnicities. Historians and psychologists have found evidence of people displaying symptoms of anorexia for hundreds or thousands of years.
Although the disorder most frequently begins during adolescence, an increasing number of children and older adults are also being diagnosed with anorexia. You cannot tell if a person is struggling with anorexia by looking at them. A person does not need to be emaciated or underweight to be struggling. Studies have found that larger-bodied individuals can also have anorexia, although they may be less likely to be diagnosed due to cultural prejudice against fat and obesity.
The Research
Researchers identified eight genetic markers that correlate the illness, commonly called anorexia, to some of the same genetic factors that also influence the risk for psychiatric disorders — such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression and anxiety; high physical activity; and metabolic and anthropometric traits, such as a low body mass index (BMI).
“It means that when we think about anorexia nervosa we need to be thinking that it is not only a psychiatric disorder, but also a metabolic disorder,” lead researcher Cynthia Bulik told CNN.
Why is that significant? Anorexia is commonly treated as a purely psychiatric disorder — it’s why treatments are primarily focused on behavioral therapy. With this research, more attention would be given to the metabolic components of the illness when providing treatment, which could help improve treatment and save lives.
The study concludes that anorexia nervosa may need to be thought of as a hybrid ‘metabo-psychiatric disorder’ and that it will be important to consider both metabolic and psychological risks factors when exploring new avenues for treating this potentially lethal illness.
Andrew Radford, Chief Executive of Beat, the eating disorder charity, said: “This is ground-breaking research that significantly increases our understanding of the genetic origins of this serious illness. We strongly encourage researchers to examine the results of this study and consider how it can contribute to the development of new treatments so we can end the pain and suffering of eating disorders.”
