A low BMI in children may increase the risk of eating disorders later

New York: Is your toddler underweight or underweight? If so, he or she might be at risk of developing anorexia nervosa in adolescence, warns a new study. Anorexia Nervosa is a eating disorder that makes people obsessed with their weight. The findings, led by researchers at the University of North Carolina in the United States, have shown that persistent low body mbad index (BMI) in children – starting at age two for boys and four years for girls – may constitute a risk factor for development of anorexia nervosa in adolescence.

In addition, a high and persistent BMI during childhood may be a risk factor for the subsequent development of bulimia nervosa characterized by binge eating and bleeding disorder. According to Zeynep Yilmaz, badistant professor, although eating disorders are psychiatric in nature, the study highlights the need to also take into account metabolic risk factors as well as psychological, socio-cultural and environmental components.

"Differences in body weight in adolescent children who later developed eating disorders began to appear very early, far too early to be caused by social pressures such as thinness or a dieting, "Yilmaz said.

The reason could be that underlying metabolic factors, dictated by genetics, could predispose these individuals to dysregulation by weight, said the study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry. 39, child and teenager. It is necessary to develop early detection tools that could be used as part of routine checks by all pediatricians.

Indeed, the earlier the problem is identified, the better it can be managed, especially if support is provided to the family as a whole, rather than to the individual, the researchers suggested. For the study, the researchers badyzed 1,502 people.