LONDON: Scientists have discovered a gene they believe may hold the key to why some teenagers binge eat.
Around 10% of adults and teenagers binge eat – characterised by excessively overeating with a feeling of losing control over what they are consuming – and binge eating is most common in individuals who are overweight or obese.
While it has been established that a combination of genetic and environmental factors lead to eating disorders, until now there has been limited research into how specific genes increase the likelihood of binge eating behaviours in adolescence that can lead to obesity.
But a team the University College London’s Institute of Child Health believe they have found a variation of a gene that they hope will allow a better understanding of why binge eating develops, and be able to inform the development of future preventative strategies for teens at risk before they become overweight or obese.
They analysed data from 6,000 participants in the Children of the 90s study based at the University of Bristol when they were aged 14 and 16 and investigated genetic variations associated with higher BMI and obesity risk to see if they also predicted binge eating.
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