An evolutionary perspective on the genetics of anorexia nervosa.

ABSTRACT: Anorexia nervosa (AN) typically emerges around adolescence and predominantly affects females. Recent progress has been made in identifying biological correlates of AN, but more research is needed to pinpoint the specific mechanisms that lead to its development and maintenance. There is a known phenotypic link between AN, growth and sexual maturation, yet the genetic overlap between these phenotypes remains enigmatic. One may hypothesize that shared factors between AN, energy metabolism and reproductive functions may have been under recent evolutionary selection. Here, we characterize the genetic overlap between AN, BMI and age at menarche, and aimed to reveal recent evolutionary factors that may help explain the origin of AN. We obtained publicly available GWAS summary statistics of AN, BM

SUBMITTER: Breton E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11840024 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature