New Delhi: For the first time, a group of international researchers has mapped and compared the genetic reasons behind eating disorders such as binge eating and anorexia. They found that the two disorders share some genetic features but also differ in several ways.
The study, published in Nature Mental Health, explains that eating disorders are not just variations of a similar psychological illness. Genetic factors play an important role too, making it essential for treatments to focus on biology-based treatments too.
“Even though these two conditions (binge eating and anorexia nervosa) both fall under the category of eating disorders, they clearly differ deeply on a biological level,” said Cynthia Bulik, a professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, in a press release.
For the genome-wide association study (GWAS), researchers analyzed data from 27 data sets including 39,297 people with binge-eating behaviour and 1,227,436 people without it, 24,223 people with anorexia nervosa, and 1,243,971 people without it. Researchers found six genomic regions linked to binge eating and eight linked to anorexia nervosa.
Researchers also found that both anorexia and binge eating were associated with genes linked to other psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. Anorexia was also strongly linked genetically to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) while binge eating was strongly linked to ADHD. However, it is important to note that the genetic testing was limited to the European population.
“This research confirms on a genetic level that eating disorders are not just about body weight; many of the versions of genes linked to these conditions are different from the versions of genes that are linked to how much someone weighs,” said Dr Helena Davies, postdoctoral research fellow at King’s College London and joint first author.
Researchers said these findings further confirm that eating disorders cannot be seen simply as psychological illnesses. The study describes them as “metabo-psychiatric” conditions. Looking ahead, the team also plans to study other eating disorders such as ARFID or Avoidant, Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.
While genes don’t cause eating disorders by themselves, a particular cocktail of genes could make a person more susceptible to an eating disorder.
“These results not only help us understand both shared and distinct causes of these eating-related traits but may also help us develop more precise treatments targeting the specific biology of each condition. Clearly a one-size-fits-all approach to treating all eating disorders is not the way to go,” said Bulik.