Eating Disorders

...ba href=/eating disorder/a/b later.Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric illness characterized by an individual's refusal to maintain a minimally acceptable body weight, intense fear of weight gain and a distorted body image.

It occurs primarily among females in adolescence and young adulthood and is associated with the highest mortality rate of any mental disorder.This study is the first published in the medical literature to estimate how much liability for developing anorexia nervosa is due to genetics, and the first to find a statistically significant association between the prospective risk factor of neuroticism and later development of anorexia, said Dr.

Cynthia M.

Bulik, lead author of the study, published in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry."What this study shows is that anorexia nervosa is moderately heritable and may be predicted by the presence of early neuroticism, which reflects proneness to depression and anxiety," Bulik said.

"Fifty-six percent heritability - that's a fairly large contribution of genes.

The remaining liability is due to environmental factors."Bulik is the William R.

and Jeanne H.

Jordan distinguished professor of ba href=/eating disorder/a/bs in UNC's School of Medicine and director of the UNC ba href=/eating disorder/a/bs Program at UNC Hospitals.

She also is a professor of nutrition, a department housed in the schools of public health and medicine, and holds the only endowed professorship in ba href=/eating disorder/a/bs nationwide.The reason she and her co-authors reached thes...

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