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A Primer on the Genetics of Comorbid Eating Disorders and Substance Use Disorders
Author(s) -
MunnChernoff Melissa A.,
Baker Jessica H.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/erv.2424
Subject(s) - eating disorders , binge eating , binge eating disorder , psychology , clinical psychology , twin study , comorbidity , psychiatry , bulimia nervosa , genetics , biology , heritability
Eating disorders (EDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) frequently co‐occur; however, the reasons for this are unclear. We review the current literature on genetic risk for EDs and SUDs, as well as preliminary findings exploring whether these classes of disorders have overlapping genetic risk. Overall, genetic factors contribute to individual differences in liability to multiple EDs and SUDs. Although initial family studies concluded that no shared familial (which includes genetic) risk between EDs and SUDs exists, twin studies suggest a moderate proportion of shared variance is attributable to overlapping genetic factors, particularly for those EDs characterized by binge eating and/or inappropriate compensatory behaviours. No adoption or molecular genetic studies have examined shared genetic risk between these classes of disorders. Research investigating binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviours using emerging statistical genetic methods, as well as examining gene–environment interplay, will provide important clues into the aetiology of comorbid EDs and SUDs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.