Interesting study on the causes of anorexia

glovepuppet

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-019-0439-2

Hidden in the genes they found a metabolic cause, as well as the expected psychological causes. This could lead to new treatments, which could improve the tragically low success rates of current treatments.

Minkymoo2019

This is so interesting! Still it raises more questions than it answers. Also furthers knowledge of how our genes influence weight. Definitely no single fat or thin gene, but complex interactions going on behind the scenes. Hope this leads to treatment, anorexia is a killer.

Pernova78

Going to have a read now, will be interesting as I come from a family of overweight/obese women but have struggled with anorexia/ednos throughout my life since early childhood

Fuzzipeg

I did not wish to sign up for the article. Fortunately I heard reports on it in our British News reports. There seem to be many possible genetic differences within the Anorexic community. This predisposition could cause one to be able to starve themselves, (the reasons why this predisposition is turn on need to be established) I can't remember the possible number of differences to others in the community. I believe the remit also included metabolism, I beg your pardon for being sketchy. I remember some 3 years or so ago a London organisation, I do not remember which, identified thyroid function which is involved in our metabolic functions in their causes or contributory factors in Anorexia, there was a full half hour programme on this research.

There are some 300 symptoms of thyroid problems, some relate to mental health and many to do with metabolism, in principal people are not usually tested adequately to establish the cause of these symptoms. Most often medics rely on TSH numbers. I even heard the scientist who created the testing scheme say, "the scheme is not used correctly".

If the system was used correctly testing the t4, t3 and reverse t3 - total t3 does not cut it because reverse is not effective in the body, much like a 3 pin plug with the live and neutral reversed, this indicates some mineral and/or vitamin deficiency, so much more would be know of the relationship between all endocrine glands. Other thyroid related conditions need antibodies and tsh added to the list. I think there are other available tests too. the thyroid is supposed to balance out the endocrine system and is involved in some way in all of the bodies functions, too complicated to go into hear.

If t3 is low, the brain does not function to its best advantage. Returning to the programme I heard 3 or so years ago. They discovered many of the persons in their research achieved relief from their symptoms and were able to get on with their lives when their thyroid function was optimal for them.

I wish all the research bult on the body of science already available and built up knowledge more creativly. I wish anyone effected by this dreadful condion all the very best, I regret general medicine is not the palce to find any relief.

kimny72

glovepuppet wrote: »

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-019-0439-2

Hidden in the genes they found a metabolic cause, as well as the expected psychological causes. This could lead to new treatments, which could improve the tragically low success rates of current treatments.

For those interested, I found these articles that together give some idea of what was studied, as most probably don't have access to the actual study in the link.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/anorexia-may-be-linked-to-metabolism-a-genetic-analysis-suggests/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/15/anorexia-not-just-a-psychiatric-problem-scientists-find

In the Scientific American article, they stress that the study found correlation. It sounds to me like they have no idea whether the genes they are discussing make a person more likely to develop anorexia, make it easier for them to under-eat, cause them to burn more calories than others with their stats, or if it's statistically coincidental.

I see no mention of thyroid function.

Hopefully, even if there is no causality there, it leads to new ideas for treatment or medication!

gallicinvasion

I think gender socialization is still the main factor, but this is interesting.

magnusthenerd

kimny72 wrote: »

glovepuppet wrote: »

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41588-019-0439-2

Hidden in the genes they found a metabolic cause, as well as the expected psychological causes. This could lead to new treatments, which could improve the tragically low success rates of current treatments.

For those interested, I found these articles that together give some idea of what was studied, as most probably don't have access to the actual study in the link.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/anorexia-may-be-linked-to-metabolism-a-genetic-analysis-suggests/

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jul/15/anorexia-not-just-a-psychiatric-problem-scientists-find

In the Scientific American article, they stress that the study found correlation. It sounds to me like they have no idea whether the genes they are discussing make a person more likely to develop anorexia, make it easier for them to under-eat, cause them to burn more calories than others with their stats, or if it's statistically coincidental.

I see no mention of thyroid function.

Hopefully, even if there is no causality there, it leads to new ideas for treatment or medication!

Ultimately, all genes are a correlation to a condition, even for something as biological as sickle cell anemia or cystic fibrosis, because all genes have to express within an environment. As the most extreme example, no gene for any disease will express in a pool of lava.
In the case of the anorexia, some of these genes are probably ones that make a difference in how the body reacts to being in a low body weight state that alter how sustainable the state is. The one I've read about before is that anorexics might be prone to increasing NEAT while becoming thin instead of decreasing.