Anorexia Research: An Overview
Anorexia research is contributing to advances in the understanding and treatment of anorexia.
Doctors and scientists involved with anorexia research are focusing on a number of different areas, including the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions, medications, and the combination of these treatments, with the goal of improving outcomes for people with anorexia.
Researchers are also studying the impact of various factors on developing anorexia, including:
- Appetite control biology
- Genetics
- The brain
- Hormones.
Anorexia Research and Appetite Control Biology
Anorexia involves serious disturbances in eating behavior, such as an extreme and unhealthy reduction of food intake, as well as feelings of distress or extreme concern about body shape or weight.
Researchers are investigating how and why initially voluntary behaviors, such as eating smaller amounts of food than usual, at some point move beyond the ability to control it in some people and develop into anorexia. Studies on the basic biology of appetite control and its alteration by prolonged starvation have uncovered enormous complexity, but in the end, have the potential to lead to new pharmacologic treatments for anorexia.
Anorexia Research on Genetics
Several family and twin studies suggest that there is a strong change that anorexia is passed down in families, and researchers are searching for genes that indicate a susceptibility to anorexia.
Scientists suspect that multiple genes may interact with environmental and other factors to increase the risk of developing anorexia. Identification of these "susceptibility genes" can help lead to the development of improved treatments for anorexia.
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