Psychologists have discovered a circuit in the brain of mice that makes them crave food and seek it out, even when they are not hungry. When stimulated, this cluster of cells propels mice to forage vigorously and to prefer fatty and pleasurable foods like chocolate over healthier foods like carrots ..read more

The study looked at survey data from 3,670 young people in the UK and the Netherlands to investigate how appetite traits in early childhood might relate to the likelihood of developing eating disorder symptoms up to 10 years later. The researchers found that a particularly high food responsiveness, defined as the urge to eat when you see, smell or taste palatable food, at the ages of four and five was linked to a higher likelihood of reporting a range of eating disorder symptoms at ages 12 to 14 ..read more

New research examined how often people experiencing binge eating are also using cannabis recreationally, and whether patients who use cannabis experience more severe eating disorder symptoms or symptoms of struggling with mental health ..read more

New research indicates that the eating disorder anorexia nervosa is associated with being an early riser, unlike many other disorders that tend to be evening-based such as depression, binge eating disorder and schizophrenia ..read more

Whether you're afraid of dogs, needles or enclosed spaces, one of the most effective interventions for this type of anxiety disorder is exposure therapy in which you confront your fear in a safe environment. A new study finds that exposure therapy is also a promising treatment for adolescents with eating disorders. They found that exposure to feared foods -- such as candy bars and pizza -- helped kids who were in a partial hospitalization program for eating disorders experience decreased anxiety toward food ..read more

Eating disorders are stereotypically associated with adolescents and young adults. Growing evidence, however, suggests that these conditions can occur at any time during a woman's lifespan, including at midlife. A new study finds that body dissatisfaction is a primary cause of eating disorders, especially during perimenopause ..read more

Research has revealed how a pathway in the brain that typically provides signals to stop eating may be altered by early life trauma. The discovery, obtained from studies in mice adds new perspective to binge eating and obesity ..read more

Brain scans of children ages 9-10 with a type of eating disorder that causes uncontrollable overeating showed differences in gray matter density compared to their unaffected peers, according to a new study. The study's findings suggest that abnormal development in the brain's centers for reward and inhibition may play a role. In the children with binge eating disorder, researchers saw elevations in gray matter density in areas that are typically 'pruned' during healthy brain development. Disturbed synaptic pruning is linked to a number of psychiatric disorders ..read more

A new study finds that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is elevated in people with a psychiatric disorder compared with the general population ..read more

Looking beyond the picky eating of childhood, researchers looked at this behavior in college students. Self-identified picky eaters ate significantly less fiber and vegetables and reported greater levels of social phobia than non-picky eaters, according to a new study. Social phobia is the fear of being evaluated during everyday activities by others ..read more