Anorexia Predicted by Brain Protein?
June 26, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
Anorexia nervosa, or Ana, is often referred to as a psychological disorder, but what if there’s a biological marker in the brain that could predict the disorder or help with recovery? Maybe that’s so.
Levels of a brain protein called BDNF are lower in anorexic women, report researchers from Chiba University in Japan. The study was recommended by Cynthia Bulik, Faculty Member for F1000 Medicine and eating disorders professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The researchers discovered that anorexic women had lower levels of BDNF in their blood than healthy women or those who had recovered from anorexia, suggesting …read more
Psychologists Unsure Of Media Influence On Eating Disorders
April 16, 2008 by Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Unless you’re willing to pay a $71,000-fine and spend up to three years in prison, it’s best to avoid encouraging “extreme thinness” in France.
According to two Yahoo! News articles, the lower house of the French parliament adopted a bill on Tuesday that would apply these punishments to anyone who incites extreme thinness. “Anyone,” more specifically, includes:
Fashion magazines
Advertisers
Web sites
Critics claim “the bill is too vague about whom it is targeting and doesn’t even clearly define ‘extreme thinness,’” while the president of the French Federation of Couture, Didier Grumbach, vows:
“Never will we accept in our profession that a judge decides if a …read more




