Bulimia is normally regarded as a mental illness that should be treated with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
A newly published thesis from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, however, shows that the condition depends in certain cases on a hormonal imbalance that can be corrected with common oral contraceptives.
"We have shown that one third of female bulimics have metabolic disorders that may explain the occurrence of the eating disorder. These disorders may in certain cases express the hormonal constitution of the patient, rather than any mental illness", says Dr Sabine Naessen about the research results that are presented in her doctoral thesis.
Bulimia nervosa, compulsive overeating, is probably the most common form of eating disorder, and it is approximately ten times more common in women than in men. The condition is normally considered to have psychological causes, and it is for this reason normally treated with cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressive drugs.
The results that Dr Naessen has obtained show that bulimia is a complex condition that contains hormonal and genetic components, in addition to psychological components. The bulimics in the studies had higher levels of the male sex hormone testosterone and lower levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen than healthy subjects in the control group had. Testosterone is directly involved in the normal appetite regulation of the body, and an increased level may lead to an increased feeling of hunger.