A new study compared the eating habits of adolescents and young adults with the results of MRI scans and found a correlation.
Correlations between eating habits and brain health aren’t too surprising since we know that nutrition is vital for development — but researchers believe that the signs may be visible in the brain before eating disorders develop and could help predict which children are at risk.
With more research, the technology could be used to determine where interventions are necessary.
Brain Scans & Eating Disorders
Researchers examined data from 996 individuals, examining MRIs from ages 14 to 23. They also looked at participants’ mental health data and eating habits.
They divided the participants into three groups: those with healthy diets, those who engaged in self-enforced diets or purging behaviors, and those with uncontrolled or emotional eating.
They found that in both unhealthy eating groups, areas of the brain had not matured like in the healthy eating group. Specifically, parts of the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex that are expected to thin or decrease in volume with maturity appeared to be doing so at a reduced rate in the unhealthy eating groups.
Teen Mental Health As A Predictor Of Adult Eating Disorders
Participants who suffered anxiety or depression at age 14 were more likely to have developed eating disorders by young adulthood, researchers noted. Euronews reported that there were also correlations between genetic factors for obesity and higher BMIs.
Previous studies have made connections between mental health and body image leading to eating disorders. Researchers conducting a 2018 study found a link between anxiety disorders at age 10 and later development of eating disorders. They concluded:
“From a behavioral learning perspective, children prone to anxious feelings and worries may be more likely to develop concerns related to weight and body image and may then seek out behaviors (e.g., restriction, binge eating, purging) that offer an opportunity to mitigate these concerns. As cultural pressures may promote concern over weight gain…children prone to worry may be more likely to internalize specific fears related to weight and shape.”
MRIs Can Show Altered Brain Development Before Disordered Eating Develops
However, research shows that this slower brain maturation may be visible in MRI scans even at younger ages, meaning that it is not a result of disordered eating but potentially a predictor.
The research team noted that “hypothalamic, emotion/memory and executive systems are involved in eating control” and that the prefrontal cortex is involved in decision-making and self-control. Slower maturation of these brain regions could potentially mean that an individual is more prone to risky behaviors and more affected by environmental stressors.
This could mean that brains that are genetically predisposed to make specific maturation changes more slowly or later place individuals at higher risk for eating disorders.
What Does This Mean For Teen Mental Health?
With further study, this could lead to MRIs being used on teens struggling with mental health and helping predict those who are at risk for eating disorders.
It could mean making it easier to determine which teens need more targeting with educational programs to help them make better eating choices and which need closer parental monitoring for signs of disordered eating as they grow.
It could also help destigmatize eating disorders with strong evidence that they have a physical cause, which could, in turn, make it easier to seek help in fighting the symptoms.
What Can Parents Do?
Currently, the research hasn’t reached a point where parents or pediatricians can directly use this data to predict the possible future needs of children.
However, parents can take to heart that this does mean eating disorders appear to have neurological components and aren’t a sign of either their failure or their child’s shortcomings.
Parents can be aware of the link between mental health struggles and eating disorders, too. This means that they can be more careful about the messages they’re sending to their adolescents about body shape and weight, especially adolescents who have already struggled with mental health.
If you believe you are seeing early signs of eating disorders in your child, the National Eating Disorders Association has a screening tool and resources to help.