Science / Medicine : Bulimia, Hormones Related?

Some binge eaters produce unusually small amounts of a hormone that ordinarily signals people that they are full, according to a study. The report suggests that a defect in production of this natural chemical may be an underlying cause of bulimia nervosa, an eating disorder in which people stuff themselves with food and then make themselves vomit.

The study compared 14 women with bulimia to 10 healthy volunteers. It found that after a meal, the binge eaters produced unusually low levels of cholecystokinin, a hormone released from the intestines that produces satiety. The study was conducted by Drs. Thomas D. Geracioti Jr. of the National Institute of Mental Health and Rodger A. Liddle of UC San Francisco. It was published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.