Genetic possibility to anorexia found

Published: Dec. 31, 2007 at 5:37 PM

FALMER, England, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A British study of Swedish twins found an overproduction of estrogen may affect the baby's brain, making the child more susceptible to anorexia.

Psychiatrists studying the eating disorder reviewed records of Swedish twins, finding the risk of developing anorexia was higher in girl twins than in boy twins, The Times of London reported.

Claims that girls who become anorexic were influenced by images of rake-thin models weren't disproved by the University of Sussex study. It did suggest, however, that genetics may be involved.

Marco Procopio, one of the study's authors, said health professionals know women are more likely to develop anorexia "and this study goes a long way to explaining why."

He noted that estrogen and other hormones "can have a powerful effect on the body and it would seem that there is an 'over-expression' of estrogen by the mother and the girl twin in some pregnancies."

While estrogen is needed in development of females, "it is possible that too much affects the structure of the brain." Procopio said.

The study supports U.S. research finding that the brains of anorexics behaved differently.

The findings appeared in the latest edition of Archives of General Psychiatry.

© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Order reprints



Additional News Stories
NBA: Cleveland 109, Miami 102 (15 min)
UPI Sports Calendar for Friday, Nov. 13 (20 min)
NHL: Nashville 3, St. Louis 1 (45 min)
NHL: Tampa Bay 4, Minnesota 3 (SO) (46 min)
UPI NewsTrack Sports (50 min)
NHL: Detroit 3, Vancouver 1 (58 min)
NHL: New Jersey 4, Pittsburgh 1
fark
Experts wonder if the upswing in retail theft may be connected to the unemployment rate. What the...
MPAA shuts down an entire town's wi-fi because one person illegally downloaded a movie. Take that,...
Verizon has found a way to charge you for accidental keystrokes
Coming to a hipster douche near you: 1890s fashion. 'Cause nothing says "manly" like knee socks,...
Tennessee man found asleep in a ditch with a loaded rifle and a bottle of moonshine
If there are aliens on other worlds, did Jesus die for their sins, too? After all, every Gelgamek...