メディエイゴ

Testosterone(1) appears to protect(2) people against eating disorders(3), providing further evidence(4) that biological factors(5) – and not just social influences(6) – are linked to anorexia(7) and bulimia(8), according to(9) new research findings(10) at Michigan State University.

An ongoing, six-year study of 538 sets of twins in Michigan indicates that females who were in the womb(11) with male twins have lower risk for eating disorder symptoms(12) than females who were in the womb with female twins. Previous animal research has shown that females in the womb with males are exposed to(13) higher levels of testosterone.

The new findings – from a team of MSU psychology(14) researchers(15) – are published in the March issue of the Archives(16) of General Psychiatry, out today.

“From these findings, it appears that testosterone exposure(17) could have a protective effect(18) against the development of disordered(19) eating,” said project researcher Kelly Klump, MSU associate professor(20) of psychology and president of the Academy(21) for Eating Disorders.

According to the academy, 10 percent or more of late adolescent(22) and adult women report symptoms of eating disorders at any given time.

Klump said researchers have known for years that women are more affected by(23) eating disorders than men and that “some of that is due to social influences such as beauty ideals(24) around thinness(25) for women that we don’t have for men.”

But the question of whether biological influences also play a role has been an understudied(26) area, she said. The fast-growing MSU Twin Registry(27), which includes more than 1,200 sets of twins ages 6 to 30, provided a substantial(28) research population(29), said Klump, who runs the registry with Alexandra Burt, assistant professor(30)of psychology.