Resting vagal tone, alpha amylase and cortisol levels in women with eating disorders before and after psychotherapy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN) were previously found to partly entail alterations in stress physiology including salivary cortisol (sC), and salivary alpha amylase (sAA) at rest and basal vagal tone (HF-HRV), compared to individuals without mental disorders or with mixed mental disorders (anxiety and depressive disorders), but corresponding data remain scarce and are not entirely consistent.

Method

HF-HRV, sC and sAA at rest were assessed in a female sample of 58 individuals with AN and 54 individuals with BN before and after psychotherapy and contrasted against measurements from 59 female individuals suffering from mixed disorders and 101female healthy controls.

Results

Values for sC were elevated in AN compared to

SUBMITTER: Munsch S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12416730 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature