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Comparative Study
. 2009 Apr;194(4):375-6.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.054692.

Intrauterine testosterone exposure and risk for disordered eating

Jessica H Baker  1 , Paul Lichtenstein, Kenneth S Kendler
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Intrauterine testosterone exposure and risk for disordered eating

Jessica H Baker et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2009 Apr.

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that prenatal testosterone exposure masculinises disordered eating by comparing opposite- and same-gender twins. The objective of the current study is to replicate this finding using a sample of 439 identical and 213 fraternal females, 461 identical and 344 fraternal males, and 361 males and 371 females from opposite-gender twin pairs. Disordered eating was compared across twin types using the Eating Disorder Inventory-2. Inconsistent with previous findings, a main effect of co-twin gender was not found. Our results raise questions about the validity of prior evidence of the impact of prenatal testosterone exposure on patterns of disordered eating.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean scores of Eating Disorder Inventory–2 subscales by gender and zygosity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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