A team of researchers was able to determine the gene that may be responsible for binge eating among teenagers. With the results of the study, the scientists hope to provide a more improved perception about the mechanisms that revolve around binge eating development thereby, allowing the scientists to identify preventive measures that can help to reduce the incidence of binge eating in teenagers before they become overweight or obese.
The scientists from the University College London (UCL) and Universities of Bristol and Queensland, performed the research by reviewing data from the Bristol-based Children of the 90s (ALSPAC) study, composed of 6,000 study subjects, who were then aged 14-16 years old. The researchers also looked into the differences of the genetic properties that are linked to higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and risk of developing obesity in order to detect if these factors can also predict binge eating.
The findings of the study, published in the journal Obesity, show that young individuals, who possess a specific variation in the FTO gene locus are more at risk of binge eating by over 20 percent. The researchers markedly noted this finding among girls, who are also found to engage in binge eating by up to 30 percent more if they have the said gene variation.
"This research offers an important first step towards understanding the genetic risk for binge eating and will help inform how we develop strategies to counter the obesity crisis," said Dr Nadia Micali, lead author, Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at the UCL Institute for Child Health and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The study results were able to discover that the differences in the FTO gene can predict binge eating among teenagers, as well binge eating can anticipate the likelihood of obesity, she adds. With this, the scientists hope to pave the way for the development of treatments that specifically target binge eating and preventive strategies that can help to prevent young people from developing obesity.
Binge eating is the excessive consumption of food accompanied by a feeling of losing control over the amounts of food intake. The disorder is most commonly noted among individuals, who are either overweight or obese and approximately 10 percent of teenage and adult individuals resort to binge eating. Although previous studies were able to suggest a link between eating disorders and the combination of genetics and environmental parameters, scarce information and research data about the roles of particular genes to the risk of binge eating among teenagers are available - something that this new study has given emphasis.
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