Eating Disorder News and Research

Latest Eating Disorder News and Research

First Edition: October 19, 2012

Today's headlines include reports about how Medicare and women's health issues are playing in a number of House and Senate races.

19 Oct 2012

Pressure to be thin may be influenced by genes in some women

Genetics may make some women more vulnerable to the pressure of being thin, a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders has found. From size-zero models to airbrushed film stars, thinness is portrayed as equaling beauty across Western culture, and it's an ideal often cited as a cause of eating disorder symptoms in young women.

3 Oct 2012

Genetics may make some women more vulnerable to the pressure of being thin

Genetics may make some women more vulnerable to the pressure of being thin, a study led by Michigan State University researchers has found.

3 Oct 2012

Warning signs of eating disorders in children

It's a discussion that strikes fear in the hearts of most parents – adolescents expressing concern about their weight. According to statistics, 1 out of every 100 girls, between the ages of 10 and 20, struggles with anorexia and four percent of college-aged women have bulimia. So how can parents distinguish between normal adolescent insecurities and the start of a dangerous eating disorder?

19 Sep 2012

Mental illness campaign launched by Australia’s private hospitals sector

Australia’s private hospitals sector is set to test just how much Australians really know about some of the nation’s most prevalent mental disorders with the launch of its large-scale campaign, ‘What do you know…. about mental illness?’

19 Sep 2012

Social phobia prevalent in OCD patients

Social phobia is common among patients with obsessive compulsive disorder and frequently co-occurs with other related disorders, researchers report.

21 Aug 2012

Controversial activities of pro-anorexic bloggers may have benefits

A groundbreaking new research study from Indiana University suggests there may be benefits to the controversial activities of "pro-ana" bloggers, the online community for people with eating disorders.

20 Aug 2012

Lightlake announces final data from naloxone nasal spray Phase II study on Binge Eating Disorder

Lightlake Therapeutics Inc., an early stage biopharmaceutical company developing modern addiction treatments based on its expertise using opioid antagonists, announced today compelling final data from a Phase II study of the Company's proprietary opioid antagonist naloxone nasal spray treatment for patients with Binge Eating Disorder (BED).

9 Aug 2012

Fatty acids normalize without help in girls with eating disorders

Omega-3 essential fatty acid supplementation is unnecessary for adolescent girls with eating disorders and weight-loss eating disorder, as levels normalize once they return to normal weight, say researchers.

26 Jul 2012

Normalizing weight helps girls with eating disorders improve essential fatty acid status

A study of teenage girls with eating disorders has shown that reduced essential fatty acid levels returned to normal once the girls increased their weight to a healthy level.

18 Jul 2012

Blocking Sigma-1 receptor can reduce binge eating

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated in experimental models that blocking the Sigma-1 receptor, a cellular protein, reduced binge eating and caused binge eaters to eat more slowly.

21 Jun 2012

Age no barrier to disordered eating

Eating disorders are commonly seen as an issue faced by teenagers and young women, but a new study reveals that age is no barrier to disordered eating. In women aged 50 and over, 3.5% report binge eating, nearly 8% report purging, and more than 70% are trying to lose weight.

21 Jun 2012

Chicago psychological center serves as model for treatment of binge eating

As experts discuss major changes in binge eating, a Chicago psychological center serves as a model for treatment of the most common eating disorder.

5 Jun 2012

Doctors may predict girls at increased risk of eating disorders based on food choices

Doctors may be able to predict which girls are at risk of developing eating disorders based on the food choices they make when they are younger, according to a new study by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

30 May 2012

Researchers create new systematic assessment for malnutrition

A new systematic assessment of malnutrition, created by researchers at Penn State, will aid dietitians and other health care providers in diagnosis and treatment.

4 May 2012

Positive top-line results from Shire’s Vyvanse Phase 2 study on binge eating disorder

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive top-line results from a Phase 2 study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules, (CII) in adults with binge eating disorder.

27 Apr 2012

Rise of eating disorders among men and boys

There is an alarming rise of eating disorders among men and boys. Psychologist Deanne Jade, founder of the National Centre For Eating Disorders, says while the route into eating disorders may be different for boys and girls, the underlying causes are all the same.

25 Apr 2012

Eating disorders can be triggered by lack of support following traumatic events

Eating disorders can be triggered by lack of support following traumatic events such as bereavement, relationship problems, abuse and sexual assault, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Even changing school or moving home can prove too much for some young people and lead to conditions such as anorexia or bulimia.

25 Apr 2012

Olanzapine improves survival in mouse model of anorexia nervosa

Low doses of a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug improved survival in a mouse model of anorexia nervosa, University of Chicago researchers report this month. The result offers promise for a common and occasionally fatal eating disorder that currently lacks approved drugs for treatment.

5 Apr 2012