By Sandy Hemphill, Contributing Writer, BabyMed
Anorexia nervosa is commonly considered a psychological disorder that causes an extreme fear of gaining weight. Its cause is unknown but various factors are thought to influence disease development. Anorexia (Latin: an = without, orexis = appetite) affects roughly two million people around the world, with more cases in Westernized countries than in less developed countries. The fear of eating and gaining weight can become severe enough to cause many physical problems, including starvation to the point of death. Anorexia is the most deadly form of mental illness.
A group of researchers in the United Kingdom have been re-thinking what’s known about anorexia. Their theory is that it isn’t a mental disease at all but an autoimmune response to a bacterial infection. If this theory proves true, they suggest something as simple as a blood transfusion could cure anorexia. Today’s treatment methods are uncertain, largely trial and error on an individual case basis, and can take years before the anorexic patient is considered healthy. Psychological, social, and environmental factors associated with the disorder make treatment quite complicated.
Researchers from Lancaster University and Morecambe Bay National Health Services Trust in England claim it “stretches credibility” to think anorexia is caused by psychosocial problems or mental trauma, as is believed now. They feel the same way about irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which they think are other examples of autoimmune responses to infection. They are currently prepping labs and designing studies to test their infection-based theory of disease origin.
Mistaken Identity
The researchers suggest anorexia may be a case of mistaken identity on the part of the immune system. They theorize infection by certain bacteria activates the immune response, as it should, but instead of attacking the bacterial invaders, the immune system attacks a healthy part of the person’s body. In the case of anorexia, they think the immune system attacks the brain’s limbic system.
The limbic system is a collection of structures situated in the center of the head behind the eyes. Emotion control and response are main functions of the limbic system, as is the formation of memories, behavior, motivation, and the sense of smell. The limbic system is sometimes referred to as the paleomammalian brain that began developing in the early evolution of mammals, where its regulation of emotions, motivation, feeding, reproductive behavior, and parental strategies facilitated mammalian evolution.
The UK researchers suggest an autoimmune attack on the limbic system triggers fear of food and gaining weight, confusion over perceived body shape and size, and eventual disgust at the thought of eating. Since the limbic system processes the sense of smell, it might affect the aromas of foods in ways that make them seem too unappetizing to eat. Today’s fashion industry that promotes the thin-is-in mentality further distorts self-image for vulnerable individuals.
About Anorexia Nervosa
Beginning usually in adolescence and early adulthood, anorexia affects girls and young women by far more often than boys and young men. White people are more affected than people of other cultures that have a more accepting attitude toward differences in body shapes and sizes. Severity of disease is measured by body mass index (BMI), with the sickest patients having the lowest BMI. The outcome can be grim:
- Predictions of death by anorexia were almost 12 times higher than expected in a 10-year study period.
- Suicide risk was 56 times higher than expected.
- 20% of anorexia patients never recover and must manage anorexia as a chronic disease.
- 7 years is the average time lapse between onset of symptoms to a first remission for women.
- 3 years is the average time lapse for men.
- 70% of anorexia patients in treatment for 10 to 15 years no longer meet diagnostic criteria for disease but eating-related difficulties often linger.
Anorexia, IBS, and CFS
In Britain:
- 75,000 people have anorexia.
- 750,000 have either anorexia or another type of eating disorder.
- 7 million have IBS.
- 250,000 have CFS.
The researchers re-thinking anorexia find similarities among these diseases and think they might all be caused by bacterial infections misidentified by the immune system. Women, who are more prone to autoimmune diseases of all kinds, are 10 times more likely to develop anorexia, IBS, and CFS.
If the researchers can identify which bacteria, exactly, cause these diseases, a reliable cure might be found for them all. They suggest blood transfusions containing healthy immune cells might cure anorexia. Both IBS and CFS might be successfully treated by replacing undesirable bacteria in the gut microbiome with bacteria that promote health and vitality.
Sources:
Knapton, Sarah. "Anorexia may be caused by bacterial infection, say scientists."The Telegraph / Science. Telegraph Media Group Limited, 24 Apr. 2016. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Morris, JA, SJ Broughton, and Q Wessels. "Microbes, molecular mimicry and molecules of mood and motivation."Medical Hypotheses / Elsevier Inc. 78 (2016): 40-43. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.
Miller, Karen Klahr. "Endocrine Effects of Anorexia Nervosa."PMC. Endocrinology Metabolism Clinics of North America / Elsevier BV, 1 Sept. 2014. US National Library of Medicine / National Institutes of Health. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.