Anorexia Symptoms, Prevention & Treatment: Medication for Eating Disorder Now Available?

Have researchers found an effective medication for anorexia?

Typically, individuals with eating disorders are mainly treated via psychological interventions and, for severe cases, hospital care. Making changes in their diet is also part of the plan. But not medication.

However, a recent study featured in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology showed that oxytocin, the "love hormone," helped anorexic women be less interested in weight and body shapes, Time reported.

"When anorexic women were given placebo and asked to look at images of food or pictures of various body parts or shapes that were either thin, fat, or not associated with weight, they paid much closer attention to food pictures and to the fatter body shape images than the healthy control group," the online news source said. "But when they were given intranasal oxytocin, they showed less interest in the food and shape-related pictures, making their reactions more like those of the healthy women."

"Our research shows that oxytocin reduces patients' unconscious tendencies to focus on food, body shape, and negative emotions," said Inje University professor Youl-Ri Kim, a member of the research team.

"Oxytocin is a hormone released naturally in human bonding, including during sex, childbirth and breastfeeding," Reuters explained. "As a synthesized product, it has been tested as a treatment for various psychiatric disorders. Some studies have shown it has benefits in lowering social anxiety in people with autism."

Is it safe to say that anorexic individuals just need a little more loving?

Researchers looked into using oxytocin in treating people with anorexia after noticing similarities in the underlying factors involved in the manifestation of autism and anorexia.

"Underlying both conditions is a rigid obsessiveness that appears within the first few years of life, as well as difficulties reading and responding appropriately to social signals," Time further revealed. "Two of the major triggers for anorexia are a profound sense of alienation and sensitivity to social ranking."

Janet Treasure, a professor at King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry who also worked on the study, said that using oxytocin as an anorexia medication helps them focus on the underlying problems of the said disorder.

Although the said study is still at an early stage, researchers are excited about the potential of using oxytocin in treating anorexia. Treasure said that larger trials and more diverse participants are required before officially approving oxytocin as a viable intervention for eating disorders.