Science / Medicine : Dieting May Spark Anorexia

An addiction to opiates produced by the brain while dieting may be the cause of anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder in which patients starve themselves, sometimes to death, Michigan researchers said last week. The scientists say their research, presented at the 40th annual meeting of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, suggested anorexics may have “abnormal biological responses” to diet-triggered opiates.

Typically these opiates, called endorphins, produce a “high” and an increased appetite. But in anorexia patients, those effects may be out of balance, so hunger is overridden by the euphoria, said Wayne State University pharmacologist Mary Ann Marrazzi.

In their study, the researchers discovered that some mice demonstrated decreased appetite and increased activity when given morphine, an opiate. If a person responded similarly to their own opiates, released during dieting, it would mimic the behavior of anorexia nervosa patients, she said.