A large-scale, genome-wide study published today in Nature Genetics suggests that anorexia nervosa may be as much a metabolic disorder as it is a psychiatric one. The study was performed by over 100 academics worldwide and let by researchers at King’s College London and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Anorexia nervosa is a serious illness with mortality rates higher than other psychological disorders. It affects between 1-2% of women and 0.2-0.4% of men worldwide.
The current study combined data from two studies on eating disorders, creating a dataset that included 16,992 cases of anorexia nervosa and 55,525 controls from countries across North America, Europe, and Australasia.
One of the key findings from this study was the fact that genetic factors in anorexia nervosa overlap with metabolic and anthropometric (body measurement) traits independent of body mass index (BMI).
"Metabolic abnormalities seen in patients with anorexia nervosa are most often attributed to starvation, but our study shows metabolic differences may also contribute to the development of the disorder. Furthermore, our analyses indicate that the metabolic factors may play nearly or just as strong a role as purely psychiatric effects," remarked Dr. Gerome Breen of King’s College London, who co-led the study.
It was also observed that the genetic basis of anorexia nervosa overlaps with several other psychiatric conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Other factors linked to the disorder include physical activity, potentially explaining why those with anorexia nervosa are highly active.
The study suggests anorexia nervosa may be thought of as a ‘metabo-psychiatric disorder’ and that exploration of future treatments may want to focus on the dual causes of the disease.