Causes of Eating Disorders - Biological Factors
Bridget Engel, Psy.D., edited by Kathryn Patricelli, MAimage by Victor Svensson (lic)Eating disorders are often biologically inherited and tend to run in families. Research suggests that inherited these genetic factors contribute approximately 56% of the risk for developing an eating disorder. People who have a mother or a sister with anorexia are approximately twelve times more likely to develop anorexia than those without a family history. They are also four times more likely to develop bulimia than those without a family history. Studies of twins have shown a higher rate of eating disorders when they are identical (compared to fraternal twins or other siblings). Research has also focused on abnormalities in the structure or activity of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a brain structure responsible for regulating eating behaviors. Studies suggest that the hypothalamus of those with bulimia may not trigger a response feeling of being full or finished eating. Because of this, even after a meal, they do not feel full.
Research suggests that several different neurotransmitters in the brain are involved in eating disorders. The brain uses a number of chemicals as messengers to communicate with other parts of the brain and nervous system. These chemical messengers, known as neurotransmitters, are essential to all of the brain's functions. Since they are messengers, they typically come from one place and go to another to deliver their messages. Where one neuron or nerve cell ends, another one begins.
In between two linked neurons is a tiny space or gap called a synapse. In a simple example, one cell sends a neurotransmitter message across this gap and the next cell receives the signal by catching the messenger chemical as it floats across the gap. The receiving neuron's capture of the neurotransmitter chemicals alerts it that a message has been sent, and this neuron in turn sends a new message off to additional neurons that it is connected to, and so on down the line.
In our brain and nervous system, multiple messengers are working at the same time to control all sorts of functions. These include mood, appetite, energy level, memory, etc.
The neurotransmitter serotonin affects binging behavior in those with bulimia. These individuals often crave and eat a lot of foods rich in carbohydrates. The body converts sugars from carbohydrates, through a multi-step process, into tryptophan. Tryptophan is then used to create serotonin. Serotonin is partially responsible for the control of appetite, creating a sense of being full, and regulating emotions and judgment. Because of this, the binge behavior of those with bulimia may also be a response to low serotonin levels in the brain.
A research team at the University of Pittsburgh found that individuals successfully treated for bulimia still had abnormally low serotonin levels. Other brain chemicals, such as dopamine and norephinephrine, were normal when compared to people with no history of eating disorders. Bulimia was shown to be successfully treated with a medication typically used for depression. This medication acts to increase the amount of serotonin in the brain. Because this was a successful treatment, it provides additional evidence of the importance of serotonin as a possible cause of bulimia.
Resources
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Articles
- What are Eating Disorders?
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Eating Disorder Causes and Maintaining Factors
- Causes of Eating Disorders - Biological Factors
- Causes of Eating Disorders - Biological Factors Continued
- Causes of Eating Disorders - Personality Traits and Missing Skills
- Causes of Eating Disorders - Family Influences
- Causes of Eating Disorders - Cultural Influences
- Eating Disorder Maintaining Factors
- Eating Disorder Maintaining Factors Continued
- Other Eating Disorder Maintaining Factors
- Characteristis of Eating Disorders
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Eating Disorder Treatment & Prevention
- Eating Disorder Professional Treatment - Nutritional Rehabilitation
- Eating Disorder Professional Treatment - Individual Psychotherapy
- Eating Disorder Professional Treatment - Individual Psychotherapy Continued
- Eating Disorder Professional Treatment - Inpatient and Residential
- Eating Disorder Professional Treatment - Group Therapy and Peer Support
- Eating Disorder Professional Treatment - Family Therapy
- Prevention of Eating Disorders
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Questions and Answers
- Eating Disorder or Overreacting?
- Please Help. I Criticize Myself Too Much and I Need to Stop.
- I Have Bulimia
- Heavy Load
- Eating
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- Husband's Weight Problem
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- Do I Have an Eating Disorder?
- When Psychotherapy Does Not Help
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19 more
- Teenaged girl at risk for Eating Disorders writes, "i want to be confidant with my body"
- Do I have an eating disorder?
- I am afraid to see a doctor about my problem because of my future profession!
- I am bulimic for more than 10 years, and it is killing me...
- I don't like to eat.
- Help?
- Where do i start to get on the road to recovery
- How can I change my life?
- Is this a eating disorder ?
- how can i get my former eating habit back
- Is This An Eating Disorder
- Is this an eating disorder?
- Am I a bulimic or not?
- I Sometimes Cut
- I Wanna Be Thin!
- Bulimic
- Odd Eating Disorder
- Elder Anorexia
- Eating Disorder?
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Book & Media Reviews
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Links
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Videos
- Anorexia: What Therapists and Parents Need to Know
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth # 1: You can tell by looking at someone
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth #9: Eating Disorders are for Life
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth #3: Mothers are to Blame
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth #2: Families are to Blame
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth #8: Genes are Destiny
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth #7: Society Alone to Blame
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth # 6: Eating Disorders are Benign
- Eating Disorders Myths Busted- Myth #4: Eating Disorders are a Choice
- Myth # 5: Eating Disorders are the province of white upper-middle class teenage girls
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11 more
- Mental Health Minute: Eating Disorders
- Pediatrics: Child Eating Disorders - Part 2
- Pediatrics: Child Eating Disorders - Part 1
- Not Falling For It: How to Challenge Toxic Media Messages about Food, Weight, and Body Image
- Eating Disorder Treatment Blogging Series - Part 1
- Eating Disorder Treatment Blogging Series - Part 2
- Eating Disorder Treatment Blogging Series - Part 3
- Eating and Body Dysmorphic Disorders
- Eating Disorders from the Inside Out
- Eating Disorders Part 2: Recent Advances in Treatment
- Eating Disorders Part 1: How to Prevent Identify and Intervene Early
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