Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011 Jun;25(5):727-30.
doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2011.03.010. Epub 2011 Mar 24.

Anorexia nervosa and generalized anxiety disorder: further explorations of the relation between anxiety and body mass index

Laura M Thornton  1 , Jocilyn E Dellava, Tammy L Root, Paul Lichtenstein, Cynthia M Bulik
Affiliations

Anorexia nervosa and generalized anxiety disorder: further explorations of the relation between anxiety and body mass index

Laura M Thornton et al. J Anxiety Disord. 2011 Jun.

Abstract

We explore comorbidity of anorexia nervosa (AN) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and their relation with body mass index (BMI) and evaluate the presence of fasting and excessive exercise which both have anxiolytic and weight loss effects. All participants were female: 32 with AN only, 607 with GAD only, 22 with AN and GAD (AN+GAD), and 5424 with no history of AN or GAD (referent) from the Swedish Twin study of Adults: Genes and Environment (STAGE). Lowest adult BMI differed significantly (p<.001) and was lower in those with AN+GAD than those with AN only (p<.029). Those with AN+GAD were most likely to endorse fasting and excessive exercise, followed by women with AN only, women with GAD only, and the referent. Comorbid AN and GAD may be a particularly pernicious presentation influencing both BMI and proclivity to engage in behaviors such as fasting and exercise that serve both weight loss and anxiolytic goals.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors reported no biomedical financial interests or potential conflicts of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Edition III-R. 3rd, revised ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Press; 1987.
    1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychiatric Disorders: Fourth Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press; 1994.
    1. Brewerton TD, Stellefson EJ, Hibbs N, Hodges EL, Cochrane CE. Comparison of eating disorder patients with and without compulsive exercising. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 1995;17(4):413–416. - PubMed
    1. Broman-Fulks JJ, Berman ME, Rabian BA, Webster MJ. Effects of aerobic exercise on anxiety sensitivity. Behaviour Research and Therapy. 2004;42(2):125–136. - PubMed
    1. Bulik CM, Hebebrand J, Keski-Rahkonen A, Klump KL, Reichborn-Kjennerud T, Mazzeo SE, Wade TD. Genetic epidemiology, endophenotypes, and eating disorder classification. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 2007;(40 Supplement):S52–S60. - PubMed

Publication types