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eating disorders change your brain: study

researchers found alarming size and shape changes in the brains of people with anorexia.

by karen hawthorne

published oct 05, 2022

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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changes in brain size were less in patients recovering from anorexia

a new study has found that living with anorexia for even one year will alter your brain. getty

science has shown that all types of eating disorders, including binge-eating disorder, bulimia, orthorexia and anorexia, affect your body and your brain in different ways. but according to new research published in the journal biological psychiatry, anorexia in particular, has significant implications for the brain, affecting its size and shape as well as thoughts, memory and learning.

neuroscientists in the u.k. led a global research team to uncover a definitive link between anorexia — the eating disorder characterized by very low weight, intense fear of gaining weight and distorted perception of weight — and changes to the brain.

the team worked collaboratively as part of the enigma eating disorders working group which is run out of the university of southern california. the enigma consortium brings together researchers in neurology, psychiatry and imaging genomics from all over the world to investigate the link between brain structure and mental health.

“because scientists from twenty-two centres worldwide pooled their brain scans together, we were able to create the most detailed picture to date of how anorexia affects the brain,” paul thompson, a professor of neurology at the imaging genetics center at the university of southern california and one of the researchers involved in the study, told keck school news (keck school of medicine of usc). “the brain changes in anorexia were more severe than in any other psychiatric condition we have studied.”

changes suggest loss of brain cells

for the study, the researchers analyzed 2,000 brain scans of people around the world with anorexia, patients recovering from anorexia, and people with no eating disorder history as a comparison.

they found alarming “sizable reductions” in three key parts of the brain, including cortical thickness, cortical surface area and subcortical volumes. shrinkage and shape change suggest the loss of brain cells and possible connection loss among these brain areas.

while studies have associated obesity, bulimia and binge-eating disorder to changes in brain structure, the u.k. researchers found that people with anorexia showed brain reductions that were two to four times as pronounced as people who struggle with other mental health conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (adhd) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (ocd), eating well reports.

in fact, living with anorexia for even one year — depending on your age and the extent of caloric restriction — will alter your brain affecting the ability to make decisions, move forward with decisions or simply plan ahead.

on the upside, the u.k. researchers also discovered that the changes in brain size were less pronounced in patients who were recovering from anorexia, which they say indicates that the brain may be able to “bounce back,” lead researcher esther walton, psychology lecturer at the university of bath, noted in a statement on the findings.

based on the results, the research team stressed the importance of early intervention to help people with anorexia avoid these debilitating structural brain changes. treatment for anorexia incorporates critical weight gain strategies with cognitive behavioural therapy.

according to the canadian mental health association, anorexia nervosa affects between 0.5 and four per cent of women in canada, while one to four per cent of canadian women struggle with bulimia. these disorders, which tend to run in families, can start in teenage and young adult years or even earlier, and can also be associated with mood disorders like depression and anxiety.

for more information on eating disorders and to find support, visit the eating disorders foundation of canada.

karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.

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karen hawthorne

karen hawthorne worked for six years as a digital editor for the national post, contributing articles on health, business, culture and travel for affiliated newspapers across canada. she now writes from her home office in toronto and takes breaks to bounce with her son on the backyard trampoline and walk bingo, her bull terrier.

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