New research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London has found that more than half of 23-year-olds in a European study exhibit restrictive, emotional, or uncontrolled eating behaviors. The study suggests that structural brain differences may contribute to the development of these eating habits.
Published in Nature Mental Health, the study explores the relationships between genetics, brain structure, and disordered eating behaviors in young people. The researchers found that brain maturation—the process by which the volume and thickness of the brain’s cortex decreases during adolescence—plays a role in whether teenagers develop restrictive or emotional/uncontrolled eating behaviors in young adulthood.
Restrictive eating behaviors, such as dieting or purging, involve deliberately limiting food intake to control body weight and shape. In contrast, emotional or uncontrolled eating behaviors, including binge eating, are triggered by negative emotions or compulsive urges to eat.
The study analyzed data from 996 adolescents in the IMAGEN longitudinal cohort, which spans England, Ireland, France, and Germany. Participants provided genetic data, filled out questionnaires on their well-being and eating habits, and underwent MRI scans at ages 14 and 23. At 23, participants were categorized into three groups based on their eating behaviors: healthy eaters (42%), restrictive eaters (33%), and emotional/uncontrolled eaters (25%).
The results showed that the three groups exhibited different mental health and behavioral patterns over time. Young people with unhealthy eating behaviors at age 23—both restrictive and emotional/uncontrolled—had higher levels of internalizing problems (such as anxiety or depression) and externalizing problems (like hyperactivity, inattention, or conduct issues) at age 14, compared to healthy eaters. Internalizing problems increased significantly between ages 14 and 23 among unhealthy eaters. While externalizing problems decreased in all groups, they remained higher among those with emotional or uncontrolled eating behaviors.
Restrictive eaters were found to have dieted more throughout adolescence compared to their healthy-eating peers. Emotional/uncontrolled eaters increased their dieting behaviors between ages 14 and 16 and engaged in binge eating more frequently between ages 14 and 19.
The study also linked unhealthy eating behaviors to obesity and increased genetic risk for high BMI. MRI data from ages 14 and 23 revealed that brain maturation was delayed in unhealthy eaters. The study suggests that this delay in brain development contributes to the connection between mental health issues at age 14 and the emergence of unhealthy eating habits by age 23. This link was independent of BMI.
One key finding was that reduced maturation of the cerebellum—an area of the brain that helps regulate appetite—explained the connection between genetic predispositions for high BMI and restrictive eating behaviors at age 23.
Funded by the Medical Research Foundation, Medical Research Council, and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, the research highlights how the interplay between brain maturation, genetics, and mental health challenges contributes to the development of eating disorder symptoms.
Xinyang Yu, a PhD student at King’s IoPPN and first author of the study, explained, “Our findings reveal how delayed brain maturation during adolescence links genetics, mental health challenges, and disordered eating behaviors in young adulthood, highlighting the critical role of brain development in shaping eating habits.”
Dr. Zuo Zhang, Research Fellow at King’s IoPPN and co-author of the study, added, “By showing that different unhealthy eating behaviors are linked to distinct trajectories of mental health symptoms and brain development, our findings may inform more personalized intervention strategies.”
Professor Sylvane Desrivières, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at King’s IoPPN and senior author of the study, concluded, “Our findings underscore the potential benefits of better education to address unhealthy eating habits and maladaptive coping strategies, which could play a crucial role in preventing eating disorders and supporting overall brain health.”
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