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Eating disorders and gastrointestinal peptides
1Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity
|December 16, 2010
Summary
Gastrointestinal hormone disturbances are linked to eating disorders, but likely maintain rather than cause them. Nutritional therapy can restore hormone balance, offering insights for future treatments.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are associated with gastrointestinal hormone dysregulation.
- The precise role of these hormonal changes in the development and persistence of eating disorders is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent literature on specific gastrointestinal hormones involved in energy balance.
- To examine the association between these hormones and eating disorders.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on recently published studies.
- Analysis of gastrointestinal hormones regulating short-term and long-term energy balance.
Main Results:
- New studies show altered ghrelin isoforms and other appetite hormones (peptide YY, cholecystokinin, incretins, pancreatic polypeptide) in various eating disorder subtypes and nutritional states.
- Hormonal changes often normalized or improved with weight restoration and therapy.
Conclusions:
- Gastrointestinal hormone dysregulation appears to contribute more to the maintenance of disordered eating and its metabolic consequences than to its initiation.
- Understanding these hormonal links may lead to targeted, hormone-based treatments for eating disorders.
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