Archived Research Studies
International study on the genetics of anorexia.
The Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt Health System collaborated with 10 other treatment sites across North America and Europe to conduct the Genetics of Anorexia study. It was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and designed to clarify the role of genetics in the development of anorexia nervosa.
The high rates of inpatient hospitalization1and death2 for individuals with anorexia, and the chronic nature of this psychiatric disorder, underscore the importance of fully understanding all the factors that increase a person’s risk of developing it.
Identifying these risk factors is an important first step toward tailoring prevention and treatment techniques. This would help high-risk individuals avoid developing this devastating disease, and aid in their recovering from it more quickly.
The environmental impact on the development of anorexia.
Substantial attention has been paid to the influence of environmental factors—such as the cultural values of thinness—on the development of anorexia. Scientists, however, have just recently begun to examine the role of genetics. Early research in this area established that eating disorders do run in families: relatives of individuals who have had eating disorders are 7-12 times more likely to develop anorexia or bulimia than relatives of individuals who have never had an eating disorder.3
Further research has compared identical twins who share 100% of their genetic material with fraternal twins who share approximately 50% of their genetic material. These studies have suggested that genetic factors have a potentially large influence on the development of anorexia.3
What do genes have to do with the risk of anorexia?
A recent research study was completed involving nearly 200 anorexics and their relatives with eating disorders. It identified several regions of specific chromosomes that may contain genes associated with the risk for anorexia.4,5 The results also suggested that the risk of anorexia may be transmitted indirectly through genes that are closely associated with personality traits that, in turn, increase the risk for anorexia.4
Genetic research, however, requires a very large number of participants who have very similar characteristics. Therefore, more research is needed before we can conclusively identify the specific genes that may transmit risk for anorexia, and the particular qualities that these genes transmit.
