Anorexia Nervosa Classification Research
Anorexia Nervosa Classification Research Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., FAED UNC Department of Psychiatry Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychiatry Professor of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health Founding Director, UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders Co-Director, UNC Center for Psychiatric Genomics Using advanced data analytic approaches, Dr. Bulik and her team demonstrated that individuals with anorexia show strong genetic correlations not only with other psychiatric disorders (i.e. obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety disorders), but also very strong negative genetic correlations with body mass index, body fat percentage, and other metabolic traits such as fasting, insulin, leptin, and type 2 diabetes. These novel observations encouraged the team to rewrite the book on anorexia nervosa and to reconceptualize the illness as both a psychiatric and metabolic disorder. Advanced data analytic approaches allow the team to conduct genetic correlations [...]