Obsessionality in anorexia nervosa: the moderating influence of exercise

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) share psychopathological and neurochemical similarities.
• Extensive exercising is common in AN and linked to OCD, with animal models suggesting synergistic serotonergic activity from exercise and caloric restriction.
• The exercise-induced weight-loss syndrome in animals, a model for AN and OCD, has not been extensively studied in humans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between exercise levels and obsessive-compulsive (OC) traits in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN).
• To explore whether high levels of physical activity in AN patients correlate with OC symptomatology and personality characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-three AN patients were assessed.
• Participants were categorized into high-level exercisers (N=22) and moderate/nonexercisers (N=31) based on their physical activity over the past year.

Main Results:

• High-level exercisers exhibited significantly higher scores on measures of OC personality characteristics, OC symptomatology, and perfectionism.
• No significant group differences were found in body esteem, self-esteem, weight preoccupation, or Body Mass Index (BMI).

Conclusions:

• Obsessive personality traits in AN patients are associated with high-level exercising.
• Increased exercise in AN is linked to a greater degree of OC symptomatology.
• Findings support theories linking AN, OCD, and potential biological mechanisms involving exercise.