Biomarker To Differentiate Between Healthy And Anorexic Women Identified

Study reveals that a brain protein called BDNF can act as a biomarker to differentiate between healthy and anorexic women.

Anorexia is a serious and occasionally fatal eating disorder most commonly affecting women.

Milkshakes can Help To Regain Healthy Weight In Anorexic Teens
Have an anorexic teen? Try feeding him or her high-calorie meals like milkshakes and macaroni and cheese until they regain a healthy weight.

While the physical causes of anorexia are not yet understood, some studies have suggested have linked the disorder with low levels of BDNF.

Now, a study recommended by Cynthia Bulik, a member of Faculty of 1000 Medicine and leading expert in the field of psychiatry and eating disorders, has shown that BDNF levels are higher in women who have recovered from anorexia.

This indicates that low BDNF levels may be reversible.

Anorexics More Likely To Progress To Other Psychiatric Disorders in Adulthood
After studying 51 teenagers with anorexia nervosa and an equal number of healthy persons for a number of years, a team of Swedish scientists have come to the conclusion that psychiatric

Researchers at Chiba University in Japan found that anorexic women had lower levels of BDNF in their blood than healthy women or those who had recovered from anorexia.

They also observed that women with low BDNF also had the lowest self-image, suffered from anxiety and depression, and performed poorly on certain tests of cognitive ability.

I was Never Anorexic, Says Kate Moss
Supermodel Kate Moss has broken her silence over the 'anorexic' tag made synonymous with her name, insisting that she was never too skinny.

However, the researchers have claimed that further study is needed to determine what role BDNF plays in anorexia, and if it can be used to predict the risk of developing it.

However, Bulik predicted: "BDNF may emerge as a useful biomarker of [anorexia] and of recovery from [anorexia]."

Source-ANI
ARU