Hormonal Aspects of Eating Disorders

In the treatment of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN),Bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED)Binge-eating disorder (BED), several endocrine aspects ought to be considered. This chapter summarizes existing clinical research focusing on medical management of the most common eating disorders with regard to hormonal aspects and their consequences. Most findings concern anorexia nervosa and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA), the effects on fertility and bone structure as well as the alterations in peripheral peptides controlling appetite. There are interesting findings concerning endocrine differences between constitutional thinness and anorexia nervosa, defining the former as a clearly separate entity regardless of some similarities. In BNBulimia nervosa (BN) and BEDBinge-eating disorder (BED), the hormonal alterations on the HPA axis are less relevant since those are mostly linked to the underweight state, whereas in BEDBinge-eating disorder (BED) the abnormalities are connected to obesity. Findings in BN indicate alterations of menstrual cycle related to maladaptive behavior and stress hormones.