Taylor Huffman

Huffman 1

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
Genetic Contribution to the Development of Eating Disorders
Imagine being 14 and sitting on the examination table at your pediatricians office and
being told you have an eating disorder. Imagine being told you have to start counselling
immediately and the only real solution is to just eat when eating is your biggest fear. The
experience is a terrifying one, you are thrust into this world of personal hell all for what? It
seems as if there is no explanation for why you, of all people, are having to deal with this disease
and that there is no explanation other then perhaps flaw in brain chemistry. As someone who has
struggled with an eating disorder for five years now, finding out the possible causes of my
suffering is highly important to me as well as many others I would imagine. There have been
scientific breakthroughs to suggest that eating disorders are more than just psychological
disorders and are also biological disorders.
Anorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a person severely restricting
caloric intake or starving themselves with an extremely distorted perception of their body.
Sufferers of anorexia typically have an intense fear of gaining weight and which leads to
excessive weight loss. Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder also characterized by a person
having an extremely distorted body image, but with bulimia the sufferer will have episodes of
extreme eating called bingeing followed by self-induced vomiting also known as purging.
Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness, it has been found that the
mortality rate for anorexia nervosa is 4.0%, for bulimia nervosa it is 3.9% and for EDNOS,
which stands for Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified, it is 5.2% (Kaye). It is estimated that

Taylor Huffman

Huffman 2

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
between 1.0% and 4.2% of women will suffer from anorexia in her lifetime yet only one-third of
those struggling with anorexia will receive treatment. It is estimated that 4% of women will
struggle with bulimia nervosa in her lifetime while only 6% of those suffering will receive
treatment (Eating Disorder Statistics & Research). According to the website for Eating Disorder
Hope, eating disorders are a daily struggle for 10 million women and 1 million men in the
United States while four out of ten individuals have either experienced an eating disorder or
know someone who has. Eating disorders do not exclusively affect women, just a few statistics
on men and eating disorders are .3% of men will struggle with anorexia nervosa, .5% of men will
struggle with bulimia nervosa, and .2% of men will struggle with binge eating disorder (Eating
Disorder Statistics & Research). Eating disorders are even more prevalent among adolescents.
According to The National Institute of Mental Health, 2.7% of teens aged 13-18 struggle with an
eating disorder. Half of teenage girls report using unhealthy methods to lose weight including
restrictive food behavior, purging, smoking cigarettes, and using laxatives while 30% as teenage
boys partake in the same practices.
There seems to be a misconception among society as a whole that eating disorders are
exclusively a mental illness which simply isnt true. Many people in society seem to think the
solution is to just eat or that if they tell people suffering from eating disorders how thin they
are or maybe how unhealthy they look it will just click and all of a sudden the disordered eating
will change. It is an injustice to those suffering or who have suffered in the past everywhere to
try and simplify this disease as just a choice or an unhealthy diet. Yes, eating disorders are mental

Taylor Huffman

Huffman 3

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
illnesses, but there is also much more to them than that. In the article titled Eating Disorders:
About More Than Food it is included that researchers are finding several factors that contribute
to the development of an eating disorder such as genetic factors. It is said that research is being
done to find out the role of genetics in the development and treatment of eating disorders.
Two of the first genes that are linked to eating disorders are ESRRA and HDAC4. When
mutations in these genes are found in people, it causes them to have a 90 and 85 percent chance
of developing an eating disorder. Scientists from the University of Iowa and the University of
Texas Southwestern Medical Center studied single families in which eating disorders were
common across generations which led to the discovery of the two genes named above. Although
the chances of having one of these mutations is rare, the data is highly significant in part simply
because it can provide at least a partial peace of mind for patients or families of those affected
who have been blaming themselves for the battle with the eating disorder. Knowing these two are
potential causers of eating disorders allows scientists to understand and learn about the
underlying causes of these illnesses and help shape the pathway to prevention. Knowing these
two are potential causers of eating disorders can help shape the pathway to prevention because
there are many different potential ways for scientists and doctors to use this information. There
could be possible genetic screening to see who is predisposed to these genes and thus have a
higher likelihood of developing an eating disorder. If it can be caught early enough that a person
has these genes than that person can be monitored by their parents or guardians for any sort of
disordered eating. Knowing that a person is predisposed to these genes would take away any sort

Taylor Huffman

Huffman 4

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
of question abiut what was going on when the disordered eating presented itself. For example,
when I got sick I knew that I was starving myself but my family questioned my behavior for
months before ant action was taken. Obviously I was not going to tell my family what was going
on because then I would have had to start eating again. Thus my family was playing the guessing
game about what was going on. If we could know that people carry these genes than that
guessing game has the potential of being eliminated,.
In a webpage article entitled A Genetic Link to Anorexia found through the American
Psychological Association there are in fact findings that there is a genetic linkage to anorexia.
The study behind these findings compared DNA of family members who have an eating disorder
with individuals in the same family suffering from anorexia nervosa. Where these individuals
genes had similar markers was noted. When the sample was narrowed down to 37 families that
contain two or more individuals with anorexia nervosa, the evidence was much stronger. The
genetic findings were located on chromosome 1 which does help researchers narrow down the
search for genetic factors contributing to eating disorders, but may not be as helpful as one might
think. This does not pinpoint one gene to anorexia. University of Pittsburghs Walter Kaye, MD
uses the following comparison to explain the significance of the finding, If trying to identify the
responsible gene is like trying to find a person in the world, then we may have located the city
the person lives in. It gives you some clue that youre in the right area. These findings are
nowhere near complete but do provide a significant look into not only causes but possible
treatments. The significance of these findings is so important not only in the scientific field, but

Taylor Huffman

Huffman 5

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
also in the personal aspect of treatment. When I was going through treatment I always felt like I
was the one to blame for my illness. If I had known that my illness was caused by more than my
desire to be thin, obsessive and addictive personality, and a flaw in my brain chemistry I would
have felt much better going through the process of recovery. I believe that those struggling
knowing that there are biological factors involved in the reason for your development of an
eating disorder could have significant effect on morale and improve attitudes.
Results from genome-wide scans based on families with two or more members having an
eating disorder revealed linkage on chromosomes on 1, 3, and 4 for anorexia nervosa as well as
10p for bulimia nervosa. After four studies there was a significant association detected between
the -1438A allele of HTR2A and anorexia nervosa. There were four association studies
comparing the frequency of the SLC64A*S allele in anorexia nervosa against the healthy
controls which resulted in showings that this allele is a moderate yet significant risk factor.
Results from yet another study show that the *LA allele or a DNA variant in linkage
disequilibrium with it, doubles the risk for developing restricting anorexia nervosa (Hinney,
Friedel, Remschmidt, & Hebebrand). An international collaborative group called The Price
Foundation Collaborative Group completed a collection of a large study group of patients with
anorexia nervosa and affected relatives for anorexia nervosa. All of the 196 index patients,
mostly of Caucasian origin, met the DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa; all 237 affected
relatives met the DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or eating disorders not
otherwise specified (Hinney, Friedel, Remschmidt, & Hebebrand). For both anorexia nervosa

Taylor Huffman

Huffman 6

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
and bulimia nervosa heritability estimates of about 70% have repeatedly been derived from
family based studies. All of these statistics named above just prove what the studies are
suggesting, that there is a significant link between genetics and eating disorders. In other words,
there have been a plethora of studies that show the link between genetics and eating disorders is
there. There is a strong correlation between having certain genes, like those named above and a
person developing disordered eating.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is the view point that eating disorders are simply
psychological issues, or that they are caused by body image issues related to the media. Many
people feel as if the media is the biggest influence on disordered eating and that people will be
influenced enough by the media to be thin that they will choose to stop eating or to make
themselves throw up. I am not going to downplay the affect that constantly seeing thin models,
actresses, and celebrities plays in the desire to be thin. Seeing thin women on tv, in magazines,
and in advertisements can fuel the desire to look like what society considers beautiful, but that
is not the lone factor in what leads to disordered eating. There is no single cause of disordered
eating, body image issues, or the desire to change your body to look a certain way. There is
evidence that the media does contribute to dissatisfaction with ones body and disordered eating,
but that does not necessarily equate to an eating disorder. Young women can be easily influenced
to feel the pressure to be thin from what is seen in advertisements, magazines, and fashion
shows. In our culture thin is seen as the ideal body type when there should be more
advertisements promoting body positivity for all body types. Young men also feel pressure from

Taylor Huffman

Huffman 7

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
the media to look a certain way, to be muscular or to be tall, dark, and handsome. The media
does not discriminate when creating the ideal body type.
The media is an unescapable thing, a necessary evil. About 95% of people own a TV set
and watch for an average of 3-4 hours per day. By the end of the last century over 60% of men
and 50% of women read a newspaper each day and nearly half of all girls, from the age of 7 read
a girls magazine each week. In addition, people interact with a wide variety of other media such
as music delivered by cds or videos, and communications via personal computers (Jade). In
addition to that, there are countless social media sites as well as other apps that provide for
sharing images and whatnot. Research conducted has shown that individuals with lower self
esteem and confidence are more likely to be influenced by the media which when considering
the medias influence on body image makes a great deal of sense. In the media we can see
advertisements one minute with models who supposedly have the ideal body or look in
general, feel the pressure to look like them, and then the next minute see an advertisement for
fatty food and feel the pressure to buy and consume said food. Often times we see the
commercials for these fatty foods that have models eating said food which gives the wrong idea
to some that you can eat unhealthy food all of the time yet maintain the ideal body. The back
and forth between the pressure to look a certain way yet the pressure to consume certain products
can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, but does not necessarily lead to what can be
diagnosed as an eating disorder. To push the point home, there is no strong evidence of an
increase in anorexia. There are more reported cases coming to the attention of services, but we

Huffman 8

Taylor Huffman
Professor Malcom Campbell
English 1103
04/06/2016

believe that this is just because we now know so much more about the illness. Hence we are
more likely to recognize it rather than hide it away. There are more services available so the
anorexic person is identified rather than left to fight the illness on their own (Jade). This piece
of evidence hits home with my point in this project. While the media may lead to an increase in
unhealthy relationships with food, there is not evidence that explicitly displays an increase in
diagnosed eating disorders.
The studies I have named above provide strong evidence that the link between genetics
and eating disorders is there. Many of the studies on this topic are completed with families that
have two or more members who have struggled with an eating disorder which in and of itself is
evidence that there is a genetic link and that eating disorders are hereditary. Having research find
that there is in fact a genetic link to disordered eating is significant in many ways; it can help
pave the way for new forms of treatment, it can help find out who is predisposed to these
illnesses, and it can help those affected know that this disease is not a choice, and that there is a
biological aspect to the illness. Being a woman who has struggled with anorexia nervosa for
many years this information and these genetic findings personally help me because I will know
that when I have children they will be predisposed to the illness and I will be able to do more to
encourage healthy eating and body image.

Works Cited

Taylor Huffman

Huffman 9

Professor Malcom Campbell

English 1103
04/06/2016
Bidwell, Allie. "Researchers Find Genes Linked to High Risk of Eating Disorders."
US News. U.S. News & World Report, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
DeAngelis, Tori. "A Genetic Link to Anorexia." American Psychological Association. N.p.,
Mar. 2002. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
"Eating Disorders: About More Than Food." NIMH RSS. N.p., 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
"Eating Disorder Statistics & Research." Eating Disorder Hope RSS. EatingDisorderHope.com,
n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.
Hinney, Anke, Susann Friedel, Helmut Remschmidt, and Johannes Hebebrand. "Genetic Risk
Factors in Eating Disorders." American Journal of Pharmacogenomics. 4.4 (2004):
209-223. Print.
Kaye, Walter, MD. "Mortality and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association."
Mortality and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association.
National

Eating Disorder Association, n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2016.

"Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association."
Media, Body Image, and Eating Disorders | National Eating Disorders Association.
National Eating Disorder Associationtional Eating Disorder Association, n.d. Web. 22
Apr. 2016.
Jade, Deanna. "National Centre for Eating Disorders - The Media & Eating Disorders."
National Centre for Eating Disorders. National Centre for Eating Disorders, n.d. Web. 23
Apr. 2016.

Taylor Huffman
Professor Malcom Campbell
English 1103
04/06/2016

Huffman 10