Genetic and environmental risk factors cause anorexia, says study
Posted on: 19/Apr/2016 9:52:05 AM
A study published in the journal Transitional Psychology has said that patients diagnosed with anorexia may have been triggered due to a combination of genetic and environmental risk factors. Researchers form the Columbia University have said that these findings may help identify new prevention and treatment strategies for the eating disorder.
Speaking about this, the researchers said, We think that for the first time, we have a mouse model of anorexia that closely resembles the conditions leading up to the disease in humans. And this model not only shows us the most important factors that contribute to the onset of anorexia, it is also helping us to identify signalling pathways in the brain that ultimately drive this potentially fatal eating disorder. One driver of anorexia in humans is peer pressure, specifically, the desire to be thin. People assumed that you could not replicate that in a mouse. We decided to take peer pressure out of the equation and focus on social stress, which can be accomplished by housing mice alone, instead of in groups.
