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Annotated Bibliography

How Do Genetics Contribute to the Development of Eating Disorders?

Taylor Huffman
Professor Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
03/07/2016

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Annotated Bibliography
Bidwell, Allie. "Researchers Find Genes Linked to High Risk of Eating Disorders."
US News. U.S. News & World Report, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
This is a web article from a popular news source discussing mutilations in two genes that
when found in people, cause them to have a 90 and 85 percent chance of developing an eating
disorder. The two genes discussed above are ESRRA and HDAC4, knowing these two are
potential causers of eating disorders allows scientists to understand and learn about the
underlying causes of these illnesses and help shape the pathway to prevention. Scientists from
the University of Iowa and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center studied single
families in which eating disorders were common across generations which led to the discovery
of the two genes named above. Although the chances of having one of these mutations is rare the
data is highly significant, in part because it can provide at least a partial peace of mind for
patients or families who have been blaming themselves for the eating disorder. Throughout the
remainder of this article some other details were published that are what could be considered
common knowledge about eating disorders, or at least the most known facts about them; it is
included that the Western idea of of thinness equating to beauty is a factor in the development or
eating disorders as well as the statistics on about how many women area affected. This author is
an education reporter for U.S. News & World Report, this is a credible and unbiased piece. While
this source did provide vital information about ESRRA and HDAC4 I felt as if this was a very
basic piece. A more in-depth interview could have been conducted with the scientists with
questions that go beyond the basics. There were sources as well as evidence but like I said, I just
felt as if this source was not as fully developed as it had the potential to be. This is a source from
a popular news source which means that is is reliable as do the direct quotes form doctors. The

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purpose of this article is to provide doctors, scientist, therapists, parents and anyone else
interested in the groundbreaking information that there are two genes that can contribute to the
development of an eating disorder if mutilated. The information presented in this source about
the two genes is vital to my research, however as a whole this article definitely does not compare
to the others in the sense that the other articles contained much more content. The other articles
dug much deeper into the topic at hand. This was a helpful source and information about these
two genes will definitely find a way into my project. Obviously finding these two genes is an
important factor in my research because it supports my topic at hand, do genetics affect the
development of eating disorders. After reading this article and gathering this information the
answer is undoubtedly yes.
DeAngelis, Tori. "A Genetic Link to Anorexia." American Psychological Association. N.p.,
Mar. 2002. Web. 03 Mar. 2016.
This webpage article uses several sources and professionals in the field of psychiatry to
support the finding that there is in fact a genetic linkage to anorexia nervosa. The study behind
these findings compared DNA of family members who have an eating disorder with individuals
in the same family suffering from anorexia nervosa. Where these individuals genes had similar
markers was noted. When the sample was narrowed down to 37 families that contain two or
more individuals with anorexia nervosa the evidence was much stronger. The genetic findings
were located on chromosome 1 which does help researchers narrow down the search for genetic
factors contributing to eating disorders, but may not be as helpful as one might think. This does
not pin-point one gene to anorexia, University of Pittsburghs Walter Kaye, MD uses the
following comparison to explain the significance of the finding, "If trying to identify the
responsible gene is like trying to find a person in the world, then we may have located the city

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the person lives in. It gives you some clue that you're in the right area. These findings are
nowhere near complete but do provide a significant look into not only causes but possible
treatments. The author of this piece does a great job of maintaining an objective point of view
rather than being biased while writing this article. This information comes from a very reliable
source, the American Psychological Association. The purpose of this article is to inform
professionals in the field as well as patients of the new finding. Personally I did not know this
information while I was going through treatment and if I had then I probably would not have felt
like such a failure for having this disease. I think this article and others likewise help those with
eating disorders to realize that there are several factors that go into your illness, and that you are
not to blame. I definitely found this source helpful, this fits perfectly into my research because
my argument is supported by the American Psychological Association which is highly reliable
and relevant. This article didnt change how I think about my topic but it does help my argument
for sure. This source will definitely appear in my project, it is from a reliable source and a great
collection of information.
"Eating Disorders: About More Than Food." NIMH RSS. N.p., 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
This source is a webpage article from a reliable website, the National Institute of Mental
Health. This is an objective piece without bias, however this piece does presents a slightly
different view on eating disorders than the rest of my sources in this assignment. This source
gives a general look into eating disorders it seems almost exclusively as mental illnesses. The
article starts out with an overview of what eating disorders are and a slight insight into the
characteristics of eating disorders in general. After the general overview the article goes into a
more in-depth look into anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. With each
eating disorder the author gives a brief, general overview of what characterizes each illness, and

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then several symptoms are listed. The topic of treatment is next, and then a paragraph on what is
being done to better understand and treat eating disorders. In this paragraph my topic is brought
into this article, it is noted that researchers are finding a combination of factors that also
contribute to the development of an eating disorder such as genetic factors. It is said that research
is being done to find out the role of genetics in the development and treatment of eating
disorders. I believe this information is reliable because it comes from the National Institute of
Mental Health, however there is not an author cited. This is a webpage published by a reliable
website in attempt to educate individuals on what eating disorders are and give a brief overview
of symptoms, definitions, and treatment. This article is not nearly as important to my research as
others that I have cited in this assignment. This fits into my research as it shows that there is the
majority view point that eating disorders are exclusively physiological disorders, but does
provide a brief glimpse into the idea and research being done to find the connection between
genetics and eating disorders. This article did not change anything for me, the information
provided in this source was already of knowledge to me, the view point was the interesting part.
It looked at the link between eating disorders and genetics as a new concept that needed much
more research before it was talked about, which does not make sense to me since I think the link
between genetics and eating disorders is obvious. This source may be included in my project to
demonstrate the lack of knowledge sometimes available about the genetic link, but is not a vital
source to be used in my project.

Hinney, Anke, Helmut Remschmidt, and Johannes Hebebrand. "Login to Atkins Library
- J. Murrey Atkins Library - UNC Charlotte." Login to Atkins Library - J. Murrey Atkins
Library - UNC Charlotte. N.p., 20 Oct. 2000. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.

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This source is a peer reviewed web article I found on J. Murrey Atkins Library database.
This is a very objective source with no bias in the article. This source contains many different
explanations for several different genes that have a potential link to anorexia nervosa, bulimia
nervosa, or both. In this article the author shares how the data was collected and where all of the
statistical data came from. Having that background information helped to set up an
understanding for the rest of the reading. The control group and experimental group were
discussed as well as the basis for how both were picked but also the author discussed how the
test could have been conducted better. Very many genes were discussed and their link or lack
there of to disordered eating, this part of this topic also included three tables for visually
organized data. This source was very reliable and included citations in the work as well as at the
end of the page. This is a peer reviewed article from the European Journal of Pharmacology
with the purpose to inform professionals and those interested or invested in the world of eating
disorders or psychology of the findings relating what was thought to be a purely psychological
disorder to a biological disorder as well. This was definitely a helpful source and will fit into my
research to provide the numbers and statistical background that will be needed to backup the
evidence that genetics play a significant role in the development of eating disorders. After
reading this source I am even more amazed by the complexity of these illnesses, there are many
more genetic factors involved than I originally thought and I for sure plan to include that in my
project.