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Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
A preliminary population-based twin study of self-reported eating disorder
L S Kortegaard1, K Hoerder, J Joergensen
1Department of Child Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Odense University.
Background:
Twin studies have concluded that there is a substantial genetic contribution to the aetiology of eating disorders. The aim of the present study was to estimate the genetic contribution to the aetiology of self-reported eating disorders in a sample of representative twins.
Method:
A population cohort of 34142 young Danish twins was screened for eating disorders by a mailed questionnaire.
Results:
Concordance rates differed significantly across monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs for broadly defined self-reported anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Heritability estimates of 0.48, 0.52 and 0.61 respectively were estimated for narrow and broad definitions of self-reported anorexia nervosa and for self-reported bulimia nervosa.
Conclusions:
There is a genetic contribution to the aetiology of self-reported eating disorders in the general population. The relationship between self-reported and clinical eating disorder remains to be examined.
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