May 12 (UPI) -- Researchers at the University of North Carolina have identified the first genetic locus, the location of a gene on a chromosome, for anorexia nervosa leading to potential causes of the disease.
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by extreme weight loss, difficulties maintaining a healthy weight and distorted body image.
UNC School of Medicine researchers conducted one of the most powerful genetic studies of anorexia nervosa to date, which included genome-wide analysis of DNA from 3,495 people with anorexia nervosa and 10,982 healthy individuals.
"We identified one genome-wide significant locus for anorexia nervosa on chromosome 12, in a region previously shown to be associated with type 1 diabetes and autoimmune disorders," Cynthia Bulik, founding director of the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders and a professor at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, said in a press release. "We also calculated genetic correlations -- the extent to which various traits and disorders are caused by the same genes. Anorexia nervosa was significantly genetically correlated with neuroticism and schizophrenia, supporting the idea that anorexia is indeed a psychiatric illness."
Related
When certain genetic variations are significantly more frequent in people with a disorder, these variations are "associated" with the disorder.
Researchers found that anorexia nervosa was also associated with metabolic factors.
"But, unexpectedly, we also found strong genetic correlations with various metabolic features including body composition [BMI] and insulin-glucose metabolism," Bulik said. "This finding encourages us to look more deeply at how metabolic factors increase the risk for anorexia nervosa."
The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
