The pressure and stress society deems someone as “beautiful”
can be quite demanding; for some it may mean taking great risk to achieve that
beauty. This risk is also the cause of one million suffering in Britain—either
by starvation or suicide, this is known as anorexia disorder. We have seen
forms of anorexia from models and demanding parents. However studies have shown
that anorexia can be also inherited!
In reality, scientists showed there is not just one social
cause that leads to anorexia. In fact, the main drive for this disorder could
either be the fear of entering adulthood or of losing parents’ attention. What
which gene is the cause for this disorder, compared to schizophrenia—this
disorder did not caught enough attention to gene hunters.
Now, Britain and
America teamed up with the rest of the world in order to gather 25,000 DNA
samples from those who are anorexic and compare it to the DNA of the unaffected
controlled group. Scientists hope that this will allow them to pinpoint the
genes and study their function in order to develop a treatment. However the
finding cannot be replicated and the project is back at square one.
The scientists hope that if the finding was successful, it
can help lessen the guilt to parents of the anorexic child. According to
Professor Janet, Treasure director of the Eating Disorders Unit at Bethlem
Royal Hospital, the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, that
parents need to understand that anorexia is caused by both environment and
genetics cause. This disorder tends to happen during adolescence, it is a
natural response—but it is the emotional reactions that get children sick.
Anorexia happens to 1-2% of teenagers and college students,
though it can happen at any age. People who have anorexia sees themselves fat
even though they eat the bare minimum amount of food allowing them to survive.
They tend to secretly starve themselves and vomit the food they ate. People who
tend to have anorexia tend to be: perfectionist, anxious or depressed, and
obsessive. This disorder usually happens to more females than males; more
specifically the daughter of two professional couples.
The global project for finding the gene responsible for
anorexia, led by Professor Cynthia Bulik, an expert in eating disorders at the
University of North Carolina in the US, identified the genes to be, AN25k. It
is likely as the project continues they find other genes contributing to the
cause of this disease. Studies show that of the risk 56% anorexia is
contributed by genetic factors. The researchers are now hoping they find one
gene that linked the illness altogether so they can develop a treatment.
This article to me was a relief to read, in my high school
days my health teacher has shown me some very disturbing pictures of
anorexia—we even watched videos about them. I feel so bad for all the girls
I've seen, I want to tell them they are beautiful already—that they are harming
their body by not eating. This disorder causes so much pain to not only to
those who have it, but also to family members as well.
This article is very surprising and made me look at anorexia differently. I would have have never expected anorexia to be genetic related. I also believed anorexia was a disorder somebody acquired through depression, anxiety, or some other mental disorder. I would have never guessed the main reasons a person develops anorexia is because they are worried about losing the attention of their parents; I always assumed they wanted attention from people around their own age. I wonder what kind of treatment they would develop and how they would even go about that. It's very unfortunate when people are already genetically predestined to have such awful disorders and diseases.
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