Eating disorders are conditions that are very misunderstood by the general public and have numerous harmful stereotypes associated with them. The media depicts eating disorders through young, thin, and privileged girls, thereby creating an extremely biased and negative reputation. Because of the media’s implication of who suffers from eating disorders, a discrepancy between who is perceived to experience disorders and who actually does, exists. A recent study from Michigan State University investigated the relationship between genetics and the environment in regard to developing an eating disorder.
The researchers used a cohort of 3,484 male twins from the age range of 8-17 to observe the impact of lower socioeconomic status and disordered eating. Researchers looked at multiple aspects of disordered eating such as binge eating, body image, parental income, and education. Furthermore, data from a census-tract Area Deprivation Index was used to determine socioeconomic status. The researchers wanted to use a twin population as this would also allow them to investigate the influence of genetics and gene-environment interactions to see if there were any connections to disordered eating.
Low socioeconomic status in males can lead to the development of disordered eating during the years of puberty, a critical time for development
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From the study, the researchers found that lower socioeconomic status, specifically familial and neighborhood disadvantages, were associated with a greater risk of developing disordered eating habits. They found that these disordered eating habits developed at a key time of male development, specifically during puberty, and that a lower socioeconomic status led to more genetic changes during early puberty compared to those of a more affluent status. It was found that genetic changes are triggered in early puberty, which leads to the phenotypic change in eating habits later on in puberty, potentially suggesting that genetics could be influencing behavior at a later stage in development.
This study highlights the many ways in which socioeconomic status influences health. Many individuals with lower socioeconomic status face significant barriers in the healthcare system, meaning this vulnerable and at-risk population has a higher likelihood of not getting the medical attention that they need. This study helps raise awareness of at-risk populations that can develop eating disorders, which can hopefully translate into the clinical space by enhancing screening and evaluation programs.
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