New research indicates that the eating disorder called anorexia nervosa is associated with waking up early.
That’s unlike many other disorders that tend to be nocturnal, such as depression, binge eating disorder, and schizophrenia.
Anorexia nervosa (from the Latin anorexia nervosa) is a mental disorder in the category of eating disorders, characterized by an abnormal reduction in body weight and by a distortion of one’s own body image with a prevalent, persistent fear of gaining weight.
A study recently published in the journal JAMA Network Open and led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, in collaboration with University College London (UCL) and the Republican University of Uruguay, also reveals a link between anorexia nervosa and the risk of insomnia.
Previous research has suggested a possible link between eating disorders and the body’s internal clock (circadian clock), which controls a wide range of biological functions, such as sleep, and affects almost every organ in the body.
This study sought to better understand this relationship by evaluating genes associated with anorexia nervosa, the circadian clock, and sleep, including lack thereof, insomnia.
After analyzing different people’s sleep patterns, their circadian rhythms and even their genes, the scientists found a bidirectional association between genes associated with anorexia nervosa and genes associated with morning chronotype (early waking and going to bed).
In other words, the findings suggest that being a morning person could increase the risk of having anorexia nervosa, but also vice versa, she writes Science Daily.
The team also found an association between anorexia nervosa and insomnia.
Anorexia nervosa has the second highest mortality rate among psychiatric illnesses. Treatments for this condition are limited and have recurrence rates of up to 52%. In addition, the cause of the disease is still unclear.
2024-01-17 04:30:00
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