C o rtiso l R e ce p to r

G e n e L in k e d to B in g e
E a tin g D iso rd e r

Dr. Arya Sharma: www.drsharma.ca

 Glucocorticoid System & Ingestive
Behaviour
• Anyone who has ever taken high doses of cortisone is well
aware of the profound effect of glucocorticoids on
appearance and body weight.

• Not only do patients on high doses of cortisone regularly

develop a typical Cushingoid phenotype (with abdominal
obesity, moon face and buffalo hump) but patients also
develop a ravenous hunger and appetite with an often
dramatic increase in food intake.

• Given this impact of the glucocorticoid system on ingestive

behaviour, it may be reasonable to ask whether genetic
differences in this system can perhaps also play a role in
eating disorders?

• This question was now addressed by Cellini and colleagues

N o te s: h ttp :// w w w . n cb in
. lm . n ih . g o v / p u b m e d / 2 0 4 4 0 2 2 9
from the University of Florence, Italy, in a paper just
published online in Psychiatric Genetics. Dr. Arya Sharma: www.drsharma.ca

•
Glucocorticoid Receptor -
Study
Ø The authors studied the distribution of
various variants of the
glucocorticoid receptor gene in 572
Italian patients: 118 patients with
anorexia nervosa, 108 patients with
bulimia nervosa, 62 patient with
binge eating disorder, 177 obese
non-binge eating disorder patients,
and 107 unrelated, normal, age-
matched controls.
Ø While there were no significant
relationships between any of the
receptor polymorphisms and other
eating disorders, there was a
significant association between one
variant (rs6198) and binge eating
disorder.

Ø In addition, irrespective of eating

Dr. Arya Sharma: www.drsharma.ca
behaviour, individuals with another
genetic variant of this receptor
 Findings
• While it is always wise to treat such findings, especially
when they come from a single, relatively small study,
with caution, these results are certainly compatible with
the notion that the glucocorticoid system (perhaps not
unexpectedly) may well play a role in the development of
obesity and binge eating disorder (at least in a subset of
patients).

• Although it is highly unlikely that finding these genetic

variants will lead to a genetic diagnostic test anytime
soon, people with this problem may find some comfort in
the idea that their genetic makeup may well be a factor
that determines their susceptibility to this disorder.

• Fortunately, binge-eating disorder is highly responsive to

treatment, and professional psychological counseling
(sometimes in combination with pharmacotherapy) can
Dr. Arya Sharma: www.drsharma.ca
lead to the resolution of binge-eating behaviours in the
vast majority of patients.
 About Dr. Arya M. Sharma
 Dr. Arya M. Sharma, MD/PhD, FRCPC is Professor of Medicine
& Chair for Obesity Research and Management at the University of
Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. He is also the Medical Director of the
Edmonton Capital Health Region’s interdisciplinary Weight Wise
Program.

 Dr. Sharma is also the Scientific Director of the Canadian Obesity

Network funded through the federal Networks of Centres Excellence
program.

Dr. Sharma has authored and co-authored more than 250 scientific
articles and has lectured widely on the etiology and management of
obesity and related cardiovascular disorders. He sends his informative
messages through his blog Dr. Sharma’s Obesity Notes.

 For more information on Obesity visit;

 Website: http://www.drsharma.ca/ Dr. Arya Sharma: www.drsharma.ca
 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Arya-Sharma/115328778486319
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