A new study has found that being overweight and eating too
much in childhood was predictive of developing Bulimia Nervosa (BN)
in adult life.
But childhood feeding problems did not predict later Anorexia
Nervosa (AN).
This study was the first to compare sister pairs where one
sibling developed an eating disorder and the other did not to
investigate early feeding experiences as risk factors.
154 sister pairs were compared. Mothers were sent
questionnaires to report on their daughters' childhood feeding
experiences. Lifetime diagnosis of eating disorder was obtained
with a semi-structured interview.
It was found that their having been overweight during
childhood significantly predicted a diagnosis of BN, as did eating
too much during childhood.
However, gastrointestinal problems, eating non-food items,
such as wallpaper (known as 'pica'), not eating enough, unpleasant
meals between the ages of one and ten and selective eating during
the first year of life did not predict a diagnosis of eating
disorder.
'Picky eating' was significantly protective for BN, but did
not predict AN.
This study showed that sister pairs where one developed AN did
not differ in maternal reports of eating habits during childhood,
whereas siblings with BN in adulthood were significantly more
overweight, less picky and ate more as children, compared with
their healthy siblings.
The authors of the study suggest that a 'disinhibited' eating
style could be an individual risk factor (i.e. not shared between
sisters) for BN. This hypothesis needs to be tested with further
research, but could have important implications for the prevention
of eating disorders
For further information, please contact Liz Fox or Deborah
Hart in the Communications Department.
Telephone: 020 7235 2351 Extensions. 6298 or 6127