Is anorexia a disease of body, mind…or both?

We all know how terribly misunderstood the world of an eating disorder can be, by someone who has never experienced its grasp.

Now, research suggests there’s even more complexity to it than recent medical understanding has suggested.

This week, doctors at King’s College in London have shared some groundbreaking findings regarding how certain people have DNA composition likely to make their bodies metabolise in a particular way – and thus maintain the grasp of the illness.

The data looked at people from 17 countries, and certainly throws a new light on the way anorexia is perceived.

Whilst it’s long been considered that eating disorders are psychiatric conditions with dire consequences, this finding paints a picture which also looks at an individual’s metabolic and genetic make-up.

Of course, it doesn’t suddenly create us the perfect answer as to how to ‘fix’ anorexia, but it does suggest that we’re learning more, and it certainly reiterates the importance of treatment methodology needing to be updated and more agile.

With that in mind, we’re naturally very interested in, and delighted by, the revelation of this research.

Whilst more will inevitably transpire as the analysis continues, what we know here at Wednesday’s Child is that we’re certainly on the right path – in our bid to create more ways to support recovery.

One solution does not fix all, and nutritional rehabilitation alone will never be sufficient.

It’s why we’re working hard on creating events, support, awareness and education, all of which help develop a multifaceted ‘fight’ against a deadly illness.

If you’d like to know more about our work, please email us at hello@wednesdayschild.co.uk