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		</div><p>Anorexia is at least partly a metabolic disorder and not just psychiatric as previously thought, new research suggests.</p>
<p>The genetic basis of anorexia nervosa overlaps with metabolic, lipid and body measurement traits, according to researchers.</p>
<p>They say this is independent of genetic factors that influence body mass index (BMI).</p>
<p>Dr Gerome Breen, from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &; Neuroscience, at King’s College London, said: <em>“Metabolic abnormalities seen in patients with anorexia nervosa are most often attributed to starvation.</em></p>
<p><em>“But our study shows metabolic differences may also contribute to the development of the disorder.</em></p>
<p><em>“Furthermore, our analyses indicate that the metabolic factors may play nearly or just as strong a role as purely psychiatric effects.”</em></p>
<p>Another finding was that the genetic basis of anorexia overlaps with other psychiatric disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia.</p>
<p>Genetic factors associated with anorexia also influence physical activity, which could explain the tendency for people with anorexia to be highly active, the research indicates.</p>
<p>Led by researchers at King’s College London and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the study is published in Nature Genetics.</p>
<p>Eight genetic variants linked to anorexia were identified in the large-scale genome-wide association study.</p>
<p>Anorexia is a serious and potentially life-threatening illness, and symptoms include a dangerously low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image.</p>
<p>It affects between 1% to 2% of women and 0.2-0.4% of men. It has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness.</p>
<p>Researchers combined data collected by the Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative and the Eating Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.</p>
<p>The dataset included 16,992 cases of anorexia and 55,525 controls, from 17 countries across North America, Europe, and Australasia.</p>
<p>Professor Janet Treasure, also from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &; Neuroscience, King’s College London, said:<em> “Over time there has been uncertainty about the framing of anorexia nervosa because of the mixture of physical and psychiatric features.</em></p>
<p><em>“Our results confirm this duality and suggest that integrating metabolic information may help clinicians to develop better ways to treat eating disorders.”</em></p>
<p>The study concludes anorexia may need to be thought of as a hybrid “metabo-psychiatric disorder” and that it will be important to consider both metabolic and psychological risks factors when exploring new avenues for treatment.</p>
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