00:00Anorexia patients were nearly four times as likely to carry rare variants of a fat-storage gene.
00:05But that link raises a question about where the disorder begins.
00:09A Michigan State University-supported study examined 154 patients,
00:14publishing findings in frontiers in psychiatry.
00:17These patients had strong family histories, unsuccessful treatments, or unusual clinical features.
00:23Researchers found about 11% carried potentially damaging variants,
00:28compared with about 3% in healthy reference participants.
00:32The gene, PLIN4, regulates fat storage and is mostly active in fat and muscle.
00:37So the findings point beyond the brain, where much anorexia research has focused.
00:42Clinician Michael Lutter called an anorexic gene not in the brain, completely novel.
00:48Meanwhile, six patients carried especially disruptive variants that could prevent normal gene function.
00:53But researchers caution that this specialized sample needs larger, independent replication.
00:59The link suggests another research avenue, not yet an established explanation.
01:04Disclosure.
01:05This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools.
01:09Disclosure.
01:09Disclosure.
