A study of Finnish twins bought unexpected results.
Are teens with time on their hands at greater risk of developing eating disorders in adolescence and young adulthood? Researchers at the University of Helsinki wanted to examine this question more carefully, to learn whether the frequency of physical activity should be studied in individuals with eating disorders.
By examining data from the Finnish Twin study, Dr. Nadja Anis and associates were able to view physical activity from three time periods, when the more than 2000 participants were 12, 14, and 17 years of age (Eat Weight Disord. 2024. 29:40). The FinnTwin12 study (FT12) is a longitudinal study of Finnish twins born between the years 1983 to 1987 and their families (Twin Res Hum Genet. 2019. doi.org/10.11017/thg.2019). Male twins were excluded because of the relatively low incidence of eating disorder diagnoses among males.
The twins’ self-reported physical activity was based on a structured question on the frequency of physical activity—excluding activity at school. The question was, “How often do you engage in physical activity or exercise during your leisure time?” Interviews for eating disorders were conducted with the Structured Clinical Interview (SCID). In all, 18% of all female twins were diagnosed with an eating disorder, as defined by the DSM-5, and the peak onset of eating disorders in this group was between ages 16 to 19.
An association between amount of exercise and eating disorders?
Contrary to their original hypothesis, the authors found no association between physical activity and future development of an eating disorder among teens and young adults. And, although the authors’ previous study showed that physical activity increased a year before an eating disorder was diagnosed (Psychol Med.2005.6), there was no change in physical activity in their current study.
Janice Goldschmidt
Has worked with individuals with IDD for the last decade, and written and presented her work in a range of professional formats. She received her Master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of Maryland-College Park, where she initially developed her program for development of food preparation skills, Active Engagement. As Director of Nutrition Services at Community Support Services, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD), she has continued to build on Active Engagement, which now includes many differing contexts for guiding individuals with IDD and autism to independent cooking skills. She has also worked on the identification, classification, and treatment of eating disorders for this population.