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Dedicated to making eating disorder research more accessible to the public, Science of Eating Disorders summarizes and reviews recent findings in peer-reviewed research on the genetics, neurobiology and psychiatry of eating disorders.
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- May 17, 2013
- 12:13 PM
- 51 views
Transitioning from Adolescent to Adult Eating Disorder Treatment Programs: What Are The Challenges?
by Andrea in Science of Eating Disorders
Navigating health service systems can seem daunting, to say the least. Making phone calls, getting doctor appointments and referrals, attending intake appointments, and preparing oneself for treatment can be both mentally and physically draining. When children and adolescents develop eating disorders, their parents become the main navigators in this scenario, making decisions and arrangements for their under-18-year-olds. But what happens when these adolescents reach the age of 18, and sti........ Read more »
Dimitropoulos, G., Tran, A., Agarwal, P., Sheffield, B., & Woodside, B. (2013) Challenges in Making the Transition Between Pediatric and Adult Eating Disorder Programs: A Qualitative Study From the Perspective of Service Providers. Eating Disorders, 21(1), 1-15. DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2013.741964
- May 13, 2013
- 09:43 AM
- 49 views
Bingeing and Purging: Keeping the “Positives” and Eliminating The Negatives?
by Liz in Science of Eating Disorders
I have been fascinated and perplexed by reports of the seemingly invigorating and anxiety reducing effects of bingeing and purging (purging by self-induced vomiting). Personally, I cringe at the idea of self-induced vomiting and have always wanted to avoid vomiting at all costs, including during food poisoning. The insight from recent blog entries and the subsequent comments has made an impact on me. I see that the motivation to engage in bingeing/purging (b/p-ing) behavior ........ Read more »
Avena, N., Rada, P., Moise, N., & Hoebel, B. (2006) Sucrose sham feeding on a binge schedule releases accumbens dopamine repeatedly and eliminates the acetylcholine satiety response. Neuroscience, 139(3), 813-820. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.12.037
- May 9, 2013
- 02:24 PM
- 22 views
Dancing Your Way to Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa
by Andrea in Science of Eating Disorders
The idea of including dance and movement in interventions for eating disorders may seem somewhat controversial; generally, exercise and physical activity are discouraged for individuals recovering from eating disorders. Including dance in therapeutic interventions might raise a few eyebrows given the links between appearance-oriented athletic endeavors such as ballet and gymnastics and the development of eating disorders.
However, some therapists and scholars interested in alternative ther........ Read more »
Padrão, M., & Coimbra, J. (2011) The Anorectic Dance: Towards a New Understanding of Inner-Experience Through Psychotherapeutic Movement. American Journal of Dance Therapy, 33(2), 131-147. DOI: 10.1007/s10465-011-9113-7
- April 28, 2013
- 11:57 PM
- 54 views
Factors Associated with Recovery from Anorexia Nervosa
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
Why do some people recover anorexia nervosa relatively quickly while others seem to struggle for years or decades? Does it depend on the person’s desire to get better? Their willpower? How much they are willing to fight? Is it just that some try harder than others? Some might say yes, but most will correctly realize that the picture is much, much more complex.
We can spend hours talking about barriers to treatment, but in this post I want to talk about something slightly different, somethi........ Read more »
Zerwas, S., Lund, B., Von Holle, A., Thornton, L., Berrettini, W., Brandt, H., Crawford, S., Fichter, M., Halmi, K., Johnson, C.... (2013) Factors associated with recovery from anorexia nervosa. Journal of Psychiatric Research. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2013.02.011
- April 26, 2013
- 11:18 AM
- 81 views
Patient Perspectives on Anorexia, Treatment, and Therapeutic Alliance
by Andrea in Science of Eating Disorders
Dear Science of Eating Disorders readers, please welcome Andrea, our newest contributor! Below is her introduction and first post.
Hello SEDs readers, my name is Andrea and I’m excited to be contributing to the blog. I have an undergraduate degree in sociology and I am currently a Masters student studying family relations and human development. My research is looking at the experiences of young women in recovery from eating disorders, and uses qualitative methods including narrative interviews........ Read more »
Boughtwood, D., & Halse, C. (2009) Other than obedient: Girls' constructions of doctors and treatment regimes for anorexia nervosa. Journal of Community . DOI: 10.1002/casp.1016
- April 22, 2013
- 03:51 PM
- 96 views
Family-Based Treatment for Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa: Hype or Hope?
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
When it comes to eating disorder treatment, few (if any) approaches are as divisive as Family-Based Treatment, also known as the Maudsley Method (I’ll use the terms interchangeably) . When I first heard about Maudsley, sometime during my mid-teens, most likely through an ED recovery community on Livejournal, I thought it was scaaary. But as I’ve learned more about it, my opinion changed (although, it does still seem kind-of scary).
As a side-note: I know many peop........ Read more »
Smith, A., & Cook-Cottone, C. (2011) A Review of Family Therapy as an Effective Intervention for Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescents. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, 18(4), 323-334. DOI: 10.1007/s10880-011-9262-3
- April 18, 2013
- 10:18 AM
- 66 views
Nonpurging Bulimia Nervosa: Where Does It Fit?
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
When most people think of bulimia nervosa, they think of binge eating and self-induced vomiting. While that is not incorrect, it is not the full picture either. In the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV), there are two subtypes of bulimia nervosa: purging (BN-P) and nonpurging (BN-NP). The difference lies in the types of compensation methods: patients with BN-P engage in self-induced vomiting, or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas whereas patients with BN........ Read more »
van Hoeken, D., Veling, W., Sinke, S., Mitchell, J., & Hoek, H. (2009) The validity and utility of subtyping bulimia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42(7), 595-602. DOI: 10.1002/eat.20724
- April 15, 2013
- 12:27 AM
- 83 views
What’s The Point of Bingeing and Purging? And Why Can’t You Just Stop?
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
I defended my MSc degree on Tuesday and I’m not going to lie: I was pretty symptomatic with bulimia in the days prior to my defence. As I was explaining to my boyfriend, the anxiety-reducing effects of purging are so powerful, and the compulsion to binge and purge (when I’m stressed/anxious/”not okay”) is so strong that it is much easier to do it, get it over with, and continue working (in a much calmer state).
I’ve mentioned before, for me, purging is very anxiety-........ Read more »
Smyth, J., Wonderlich, S., Heron, K., Sliwinski, M., Crosby, R., Mitchell, J., & Engel, S. (2007) Daily and momentary mood and stress are associated with binge eating and vomiting in bulimia nervosa patients in the natural environment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(4), 629-638. DOI: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.4.629
- April 9, 2013
- 11:37 PM
- 62 views
Diabulimia: A Dangerous Duet
by Shelly in Science of Eating Disorders
Type 1 diabetes (DMT1, or T1DM) is a lifelong disease often diagnosed in children or adolescents. Though causes of DMT1 are complex and not fully understood, it results from the body’s immune system destroying its own insulin-producing cells. This drastically lowers insulin levels and leads to high blood sugar (insulin is crucial for regulating blood sugar). If not managed properly, DMt1 can wreck havoc on the nerves, heart, and retina. The onset of DMT1 often results in dramatic weight l........ Read more »
Walker, J., Young, R., Little, J., & Steel, J. (2002) Mortality in Concurrent Type 1 Diabetes and Anorexia Nervosa. Diabetes Care, 25(9), 1664-1665. DOI: 10.2337/diacare.25.9.1664-a
Alejandra Larrañaga, María F Docet and Ricardo V García-Mayor. (2011) Disordered eating behaviors in type 1 diabetic patients. World J Diabetes., 2(11), 189-195. info:/10.4239/wjd.v2.i11.189
- April 4, 2013
- 04:47 PM
- 281 views
Binge Eating: When Should We Call It An “Addiction”?
by Liz in Science of Eating Disorders
Hello Science of Eating Disorders readers! This is a guest post by Liz. Liz is a PhD Candidate in Psychology at the University of Toronto. You can read more about her research, interests, and eating disorder history on her “About” page.
And the usual “disclaimer”: Please keep in mind that I (Tetyana) give as much freedom as possible to guest writers and contributors to write about their own interests and viewpoints. That means that we don’t all necessary agree; there i........ Read more »
Boggiano, M., Turan, B., Maldonado, C., Oswald, K., & Shuman, E. (2013) Secretive food concocting in binge eating: Test of a famine hypothesis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46(3), 212-225. DOI: 10.1002/eat.22077
Corwin, R., Avena, N., & Boggiano, M. (2011) Feeding and reward: Perspectives from three rat models of binge eating. Physiology , 104(1), 87-97. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.04.041
Stice, E., Figlewicz, D., Gosnell, B., Levine, A., & Pratt, W. (2012) The contribution of brain reward circuits to the obesity epidemic. Neuroscience . DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2012.12.001
- March 30, 2013
- 09:38 AM
- 141 views
Eating Disorders in the Elderly
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
The first published case of a late-onset eating disorder (at the age of 40) was in 1930 by John M. Berkman. In 1936, John A. Ryle published a case study of an eating disorder in a 59-year-old woman. Just how common are eating disorders in late middle-age or elderly individuals?... Read more »
Lapid, M., Prom, M., Burton, M., McAlpine, D., Sutor, B., & Rummans, T. (2010) Eating disorders in the elderly. International Psychogeriatrics, 22(04), 523-536. DOI: 10.1017/S1041610210000104
- March 25, 2013
- 12:08 AM
- 123 views
Are There Any Meaningful Differences Between Subthreshold and Full Syndrome Anorexia Nervosa?
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
I see this on an daily basis: patients with subtreshold eating disorders feeling invalidated and “not sick enough.” They are struggling so much, but maybe they still have their periods, or maybe their weight isn’t quite low enough, and so they often (but not always, thankfully) get dismissed by doctors, other healthcare professionals, and insurance companies. Do you think you really need this treatment, maybe you can just focus on eating healthier? You know you are not fat, you........ Read more »
Le Grange, D., Crosby, R., Engel, S., Cao, L., Ndungu, A., Crow, S., Peterson, C., Mitchell, J., & Wonderlich, S. (2013) DSM-IV-Defined Anorexia Nervosa Versus Subthreshold Anorexia Nervosa (EDNOS-AN). European Eating Disorders Review, 21(1), 1-7. DOI: 10.1002/erv.2192
- March 21, 2013
- 04:36 PM
- 309 views
Your Body’s Response to Chewing and Spitting: The Role of Insulin
by Shelly Fan in Science of Eating Disorders
In my previous post, I looked at two hormones released during the cephalic phase (gastric secretion that occurs before food is eaten), ghrelin and obestatin, and how they may contribute to runaway eating behavior. Today I’m going to be looking at insulin release during chew and spit (CHSP), a fairly common symptom in eating disorders where the food is tasted, chewed and spit out. Insulin is a small peptide hormone that acts as a key regulator of metabolism; deregulation of insulin signalling........ Read more »
Broberg DJ, & Bernstein IL. (1989) Cephalic insulin release in anorexic women. Physiology , 45(5), 871-4. PMID: 2675143
Moyer A, Rodin J, & Cummings N. (1993) Cephalic phase insulin release in bulimia. The International journal of eating disorders, 14(3), 331-9. PMID: 8275069
Teff KL, & Engelman K. (1996) Palatability and dietary restraint: effect on cephalic phase insulin release in women. Physiology , 60(2), 567-73. PMID: 8840920
Teff KL. (2011) How neural mediation of anticipatory and compensatory insulin release helps us tolerate food. Physiology , 103(1), 44-50. PMID: 21256146
- March 18, 2013
- 03:30 PM
- 123 views
Demystifying the Genetics of Eating Disorders – Part II
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
In my last post I talked about some methods that scientists use to study the genetics of eating disorders. I focused on a subfield of genetics called behavioural genetics (which you can think of as a field that attempts to understand, in part, the interplay of genetics and environment in behaviour). In this post I’ll shift gears and focus on molecular genetics. I’ll be working of the same review paper by Drs. Zerwas and Bulik (2011). Molecular geneticists study the structure and........ Read more »
Zerwas, S., & Bulik, C. (2011) Genetics and Epigenetics of Eating Disorders. Psychiatric Annals, 41(11), 532-538. DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20111017-06
- March 15, 2013
- 09:50 PM
- 160 views
Demystifying the Genetics of Eating Disorders – Part I
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
Today I thought I’d take the time to do an overview of what researchers know about the genetics of eating disorders and try to clear up some common misconceptions. The bulk of the content in this blog post comes from a very nice review paper published in 2011 by Drs. Stephanie Zerwas and Cynthia Bulik on the genetics and epigenetics of eating disorders. In an effort to keep blog posts short, this will be a multi-part mini-series.
When it comes to the genetics of eating disorders, there are........ Read more »
Zerwas, S., & Bulik, C. (2011) Genetics and Epigenetics of Eating Disorders. Psychiatric Annals, 41(11), 532-538. DOI: 10.3928/00485713-20111017-06
- March 13, 2013
- 12:04 AM
- 144 views
Avoiding Refeeding Syndrome in Anorexia Nervosa
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
Refeeding syndrome (RS) is a rare but potentially fatal condition that can occur during refeeding of severely malnourished individuals (such as anorexia nervosa patients). After prolonged starvation, the body begins to use fat and protein to produce energy because there are not enough carbohydrates. Upon refeeding, there’s a surge of insulin (because of the ingested carbohydrates) and a sudden shift from fat to carbohydrate metabolism. This sudden shift can lead to a whole set o........ Read more »
O'Connor G, & Goldin J. (2011) The refeeding syndrome and glucose load. The International journal of eating disorders, 44(2), 182-5. PMID: 20127933
Kohn, M., Madden, S., & Clarke, S. (2011) Refeeding in anorexia nervosa. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 23(4), 390-394. DOI: 10.1097/MOP.0b013e3283487591
- March 8, 2013
- 11:49 AM
- 185 views
Deep Brain Stimulation for Severe Anorexia Nervosa
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
This week, a team of researchers from the University of Toronto published a paper in The Lancet describing the results of a small study using deep brain stimulation (DBS) to treatment severe/chronic anorexia nervosa. Major news outlets, including the BBC, reported on the findings. A few people emailed and messaged me asking me to do a post about it (which is cool! I love it!). So here it is.
DBS is a surgical procedure that involves implanting an electrode that delivers electrical........ Read more »
Lipsman, N., Woodside, D., Giacobbe, P., Hamani, C., Carter, J., Norwood, S., Sutandar, K., Staab, R., Elias, G., Lyman, C.... (2013) Subcallosal cingulate deep brain stimulation for treatment-refractory anorexia nervosa: a phase 1 pilot trial. The Lancet. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)62188-6
- March 6, 2013
- 01:20 PM
- 179 views
Your Body’s Response to Chewing & Spitting: The Role of Ghrelin and Obestatin
by Shelly in Science of Eating Disorders
Shelly’s follow-up post on chewing and spitting, an often overlooked symptom in eating disorders. In her first post, Shelly discussed the prevalence of chewing and spitting among eating disorder patients. In this post, Shelly discusses some of the physiological effects of chewing and spitting. Enjoy! – Tetyana
Your body responds to food long before it reaches your stomach. The taste, smell, even the mere sight of food all act to trigger a physiological response, “priming” the gut........ Read more »
Monteleone, P., Serritella, C., Martiadis, V., & Maj, M. (2008) Deranged Secretion of Ghrelin and Obestatin in the Cephalic Phase of Vagal Stimulation in Women with Anorexia Nervosa. Biological Psychiatry, 64(11), 1005-1008. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.04.006
Méquinion, M., Langlet, F., Zgheib, S., Dickson, S., Dehouck, B., Chauveau, C., & Viltart, O. (2013) Ghrelin: Central and Peripheral Implications in Anorexia Nervosa. Frontiers in Endocrinology. DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2013.00015
- March 3, 2013
- 11:24 PM
- 165 views
Is Living in an Urban City a Risk Factor for Bulimia Nervosa?
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
The link between urban living and mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression has been known for quite some time (Sundquist et al., 2004). In one study, Sundquist et al found that individuals living in a densely populated area had a 68-77% higher risk of developing psychosis and 12-22% higher risk of developing depression.
The question then arises, do eating disorders follow a similar pattern? And if yes, what are some possible explanations? Certainly we know that both genetic and envi........ Read more »
VAN SON, G., VAN HOEKEN, D., BARTELDS, A., VAN FURTH, E., & HOEK, H. (2006) Urbanisation and the incidence of eating disorders. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 189(6), 562-563. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.021378
- February 28, 2013
- 04:26 PM
- 177 views
Framing Eating Disorders As “Brain Diseases” Might Lead to More Stigma
by Tetyana Pekar in Science of Eating Disorders
Many–myself included–assume that emphasizing the biological basis of mental disorders will reduce mental health stigma. The idea is that it will place less blame and personal responsibility on the affected individual.
Still, when it comes to raising awareness and reducing stigma, we need to make sure that our assumptions hold up to the evidence, otherwise we run the risk of playing a game of broken telephone. Given that this is Eating Disorder Awareness Week in the United States, th........ Read more »
Angermeyer, M., Mnich, E., Daubmann, A., Herich, L., Wegscheider, K., Kofahl, C., & Knesebeck, O. (2013) Biogenetic explanations and public acceptance of people with eating disorders. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-012-0648-9
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