Eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa, alters DNA, affects nervous system: Study

Are you on a weight loss plan that demands an extreme diet? Then you are more susceptible to suffering from eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa. And if this disorder is not treated at the right ti

Editorial Team | Published: February 10, 2015 10:10 am

Are you on a weight loss plan that demands an extreme diet? Then you are more susceptible to suffering from eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa. And if this disorder is not treated at the right time, it can lead to catastrophic effects on your DNA, altering it totally. A new study by Linda Booij, a researcher with Sainte-Justine Hospital and an assistant professor at Queen’s University, was the first to conclude these effects. (Read:Bulimia Nervosa — expert tips to deal with this eating disorder)

The study says that the longer one suffers from this eating disorder, the more one is likely to exhibit disorder-relevant alterations in DNA methylation. When methylation is altered, gene expression is also altered and the traits controlled by these genes are negatively affected. In other words, altered methylation can produce changes in emotional reactions, physiological functions and behaviors. A genome-wide study is showing chronicity of illness in women with AN to be associated with more pronounced alteration of methylation levels in genes implicated in anxiety, social behavior, various brain and nervous system functions, immunity, and the functioning of peripheral organs. (Read: Beware — Facebook could give you an eating disorder!)

Dr. Steiger, Chief of the Eating Disorders Program at the Douglas Institute and a professor of Psychiatry at McGill University, said that these findings help clarify the point that eating disorders are not about superficial body image concerns or the result of bad parenting. They represent real biological effects of environmental impacts in affected people, which then get locked in by too much dieting. (Read: Impulsive people far likelier to be food addicts)

Steiger added that they already know that eating disorders, once established, have a tendency to become more and more entrenched over time and these findings point to physical mechanisms acting upon physiological and nervous system functions throughout the body that may underlie many of the effects of chronicity.x

The study is published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Source: ANI

Photo source: Getty images

Published: February 10, 2015 10:10 am

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