Biochemical Correlates of Anorexia and BulimiaMillions of people in the United States suffer from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is a dangerous eating disorder characterized by distorted body image, obsession with food and weight, drastic reduction in food intake, often to the point of starvation, and extreme weight loss (1). Bulimia nervosa is a somewhat similar eating disorder, characterized more specifically by recurrent episodes of uncontrollable binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting or abuse of laxatives or diuretics (2). The vast majority – more than 90 percent – ​​of people with eating disorders are female adolescents and young adults (1). This has led to the popular belief that eating disorders can be attributed to social factors, particularly the emphasis on thinness as a measure of physical attractiveness and female beauty in our culture. It is believed that women, especially young women, develop eating disorders in an attempt to conform to this ideal (1). While it is likely that these social factors play an important role in the development of eating disorders, research has shown that several other psychological and biological factors are also involved. This article will focus specifically on the biochemical factors, including abnormal activity of brain neurotransmitters, hormones, and other brain chemicals, that have been implicated in these disorders. Disruptions in serotonergic pathways in the brain have been linked to onset, persistence, and recurrence. eating disorders. In particular, it appears that an increase in serotonin activity in the brain may be responsible for anorexic behavior, while a decrease in serotonin activity may be responsible...... middle of article......h/articles/bulimia.htm3)Eating Disorders, Brian Disorders Networkhttp://www.tminus10.com/Children/Health/articles/bulimia.htm4)The hidden truth about eating disorders 'eatinghttp://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~behr/eatingdisorder.html5) Fen-Phen Information, US Food and Drug Administration http://www.fda.gov/cder/news/feninfo.htm6) Decreased serotonergic function in bulimia nervosa, full text article: Archives of General Psychiatry, 54: 529-534, June 1997 http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/psyc/ vol_54/no_6/oa5354.htm7) Alterations in serotonergic activity and psychiatric symptoms after recovery from bulimia nervosa, full text article: General Archives Psychiatry, 55:927-935, October 1998http://www.ama-assn .org/cgi-bin/AT-movedallsearch.cgi8)Serotonin and eating disorders, PharmInfoNethttp://pharminfo.com/pubs/msb/seroton. HTML