Medical Animation Disorders

Food Cravings Reduced By Lizard Saliva
A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate...

Differences Seen In Brain Circuitry Between Women With Anorexia And Those With Obesity
Why does one person become anorexic and another obese? A study recently published by a University of Colorado School of Medicine researcher shows that reward circuits in the brain are sensitized in anorexic women and desensitized in obese women. The findings also suggest that eating behavior is related to brain dopamine pathways involved in addictions...

Study Identifies Five Factors That Promote A Positive Body Image In Women
Women with high family support and limited pressure to achieve the 'thin and beautiful' ideal have a more positive body image. That's according to a new study looking at five factors that may help young women to be more positive about their bodies, in the context of a society where discontent with appearance is common among women. The work by Dr...

Possible Link Discovered Between The Hormone Ghrelin And Hedonic Eating
When eating is motivated by pleasure, rather than hunger, endogenous rewarding chemical signals are activated which can lead to overeating, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). The phenomenon ultimately affects body mass and may be a factor in the continuing rise of obesity...

Research May Lead To Treatments For The Complications Of Obesity And Malnutrition
Medical researchers at the University of Sheffield have defined the structure of a key part of the human obesity receptor - an essential factor in the regulation of body fat - which could help provide new treatments for the complications of obesity and anorexia...

Addiction-Like Behaviors Can Stem From Binge Eating
A history of binge eating - consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time - may make an individual more likely to show other addiction-like behaviors, including substance abuse, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. In the short term, this finding may shed light on the factors that promote substance abuse, addiction, and relapse...

Key Events Can Trigger Eating Disorders
Eating disorders can be triggered by lack of support following traumatic events such as bereavement, relationship problems, abuse and sexual assault, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Even changing school or moving home can prove too much for some young people and lead to conditions such as anorexia or bulimia...

Mouse Model Offers Opportunity To Study Antipsychotic Drug In Treatment Of Anorexia
Low doses of a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug improved survival in a mouse model of anorexia nervosa, University of Chicago researchers report this month. The result offers promise for a common and occasionally fatal eating disorder that currently lacks approved drugs for treatment...

For Weight Loss, Misperception Of Weight Is An Important Barrier
When University of Illinois researchers surveyed over 3,500 college applicants, more than a third couldn't report their weight accurately, and overweight and obese men were more likely to underestimate their weight than women...

Our Brains On Food: From Anorexia To Obesity And Everything In Between
The brains of people with anorexia and obesity are wired differently, according to new research. Neuroscientists for the first time have found that how our brains respond to food differs across a spectrum of eating behaviors - from extreme overeating to food deprivation. This study is one of several new approaches to help better understand and ultimately treat eating disorders and obesity...

Sudden Onset OCD In Children - Possible Causes Broadened
Criteria for a broadened syndrome of acute onset obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have been proposed by a National Institutes of Health scientist and her colleagues...

Super-Thin Models Banned From Catwalks And Ads, Israel
The Israeli parliament has passed a new law which prohibits clinically underweight models from appearing in advertisements and catwalks. Lawmakers believe the presence of super-skinny models in the media and fashion parades encourages eating disorders and promotes unrealistic and unhealthy body image goals...

How A Single Gene Mutation Leads To Uncontrolled Obesity
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have revealed how a mutation in a single gene is responsible for the inability of neurons to effectively pass along appetite suppressing signals from the body to the right place in the brain. What results is obesity caused by a voracious appetite...

Loss Of Appetite Deciphered In Brain Cell Circuit: Therapeutic Targets Also Discovered For Potential Treatments For Eating Disorders
The meal is pushed way, untouched. Loss of appetite can be a fleeting queasiness or continue to the point of emaciation. While it's felt in the gut, more is going on inside the head. New findings are emerging about brain and body messaging pathways that lead to loss of appetite, and the systems in place to avoid starvation...

The Majority Of Women With Bulimia Reach Highest-Ever Weight After Developing The Disorder
Researchers at Drexel University have found that a majority of women with bulimia nervosa reach their highest-ever body weight after developing their eating disorder, despite the fact that the development of the illness is characterized by significant weight loss...