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Olfactory dysfunction in anorexia and bulimia nervosa

I C Fedoroff1, S A Stoner, A E Andersen

  • 1Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, Ontario.

The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|July 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary
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Severe starvation in very low-weight anorexia nervosa patients impairs olfactory function, with deficits persisting even after weight gain. Smoking further exacerbates these olfactory system impairments.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Olfactory Research
  • Eating Disorder Research

Background:

  • Eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, are associated with various physiological changes.
  • Olfactory dysfunction has been anecdotally reported in individuals with eating disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate olfactory function in women with different types of eating disorders: food-restricting anorexia nervosa (AN), AN with bulimic features, and bulimia nervosa (BN).
  • To determine if olfactory impairments are linked to the severity of starvation and if they are reversible with nutritional rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

  • Olfactory function was assessed using the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT).
  • Odor detection thresholds were determined using phenyl ethyl alcohol (PEA).

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  • Participants included 55 women with eating disorders and 16 healthy controls.

    • Main Results:

    • Only very low-weight patients with anorexia nervosa exhibited significant deficits in odor identification and detection.
    • These olfactory impairments did not improve from hospital admission to discharge, despite substantial weight recovery.
    • While smoking had a minor overall effect, very low-weight anorexic smokers had the lowest olfactory scores.

    Conclusions:

    • Severe and prolonged starvation in very low-weight anorexia nervosa may lead to persistent olfactory system deficits.
    • These olfactory deficits appear to be intractable and are potentially worsened by smoking.
    • Higher-weight anorexics did not display similar olfactory impairments, suggesting a threshold effect related to starvation severity.