PubMed · 42718672
Genomic meta-analyses of binge-eating behavior and anorexia nervosa yield insights into the unique and shared biology of eating disorder phenotypes.
Abstract
Eating disorders-including anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder-are clinically distinct but exhibit symptom overlap and diagnostic crossover. Genomic analyses have mostly examined AN. Here we conducted a genomic meta-analysis of case-control studies of binge-eating behavior (BE; 39,279 cases, 1,227,436 controls), alongside analyses of AN (24,223 cases, 1,243,971 controls) and its subtypes (all European ancestries). We identified six BE-associated loci, including loci associated with a higher body mass index and impulse-control behaviors. AN genome-wide association studies yielded eight loci, validating six loci. Subsequent polygenic risk score analysis demonstrated an association with AN in two East Asian ancestry studies. BE and AN exhibited similar positive genetic correlations with psychiatric disorders but opposing genetic correlations with anthropometric traits. Most of the genetic signal in BE and AN was not shared with body mass index. We have extended eating disorder genomics beyond AN; future work will incorporate multiple diagnoses and global ancestries.
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Jet D Termorshuizen, Helena L Davies, Sang-Hyuck Lee, Jessica K Dennis, Christopher Hübel, Jessica S Johnson, Yi Lu, Melissa A Munn-Chernoff, Triinu Peters, Baiyu Qi, Katherine E Schaumberg, Rebecca H Signer, Karanvir Singh, Abigail R Ter Kuile, Laura M Thornton, Jiayi Xu, Shuyang Yao, Zeynep Yilmaz, Ruyue Zhang, Johan Zvrskovec, Mohamed Abdulkadir, Ziada Ayorech, Elizabeth C Corfield, Alexandra Havdahl, Kristi Krebs, Taralynn M Mack, Maria Niarchou, Teemu Palviainen, Julia M Sealock, Jessica H Baker, Andrew W Bergen, Andreas Birgegård, Vesna Boraska Perica, Katharina Bühren, Roland Burghardt, Matteo Cassina, Giovanni Castellini, Enrico Collantoni, James J Crowley, Unna N Danner, Franziska Degenhardt, Janiece E DeSocio, Christian Dina, Monika Dmitrzak-Węglarz, Laramie E Duncan, Karin M Egberts, Lenka Foretova, Ina Giegling, Fragiskos Gonidakis, Scott D Gordon, Jakob Grove, Sébastien Guillaume, Jerry D Guintivano, Annette M Hartmann, Konstantinos Hatzikotoulas, Stefan Herms, Hartmut Imgart, Susana Jiménez-Murcia, Antonio Julià, Gursharan Kalsi, Deborah Kaminská, Leila J Karhunen, Hannah L Kennedy, Kirsty M Kiezebrink, Theresa Kolb, Janne T Larsen, Dong Li, Lisa Lilenfeld, Mario Maj, Morten Mattingsdal, Paolo Meneguzzo, Allison L Miller, Karen S Mitchell, Alessio Maria Monteleone, Catherine M Olsen, Leonid Padyukov, Richard Parker, Michaela A Pettie, Dalila Pinto, Anu Raevuori, Samuli Ripatti, Marion E Roberts, Paolo Santonastaso, Androula Savva, Ulrike H Schmidt, Alexandra Schosser, Jochen Seitz, Lenka Ls Slachtova, Agnieszka Slopien, Sandro Sorbi, Peter S Straub, Jin P Szatkiewicz, Friederike I Tam, Elena Tenconi, Alfonso Tortorella, Artemis Tsitsika, Annemarie A van Elburg, Gudrun Wagner, Hunna J Watson, Roger Ah Adan. 2026-08-19. Genomic meta-analyses of binge-eating behavior and anorexia nervosa yield insights into the unique and shared biology of eating disorder phenotypes.. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00698-2
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