Sex Differences in Binge Eating: Gonadal Hormone Effects Across Development

Eating disorders are highly sexually differentiated disorders that exhibit a female predominance in risk. Most theories focus on psychosocial explanations to the exclusion of biological genetic influences. The purpose of this descriptive review is to evaluate evidence from animal and human studies i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annual review of clinical psychology 2017-05, Vol.13 (1), p.183-207
Main Authors: Klump, Kelly L, Culbert, Kristen M, Sisk, Cheryl L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
binge eating
Binge-Eating Disorder - genetics
Binge-Eating Disorder - metabolism
bulimia nervosa
estrogen
Gonadal Hormones - metabolism
Human Development - physiology
Humans
progesterone
Sex Characteristics
testosterone
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Summary:Eating disorders are highly sexually differentiated disorders that exhibit a female predominance in risk. Most theories focus on psychosocial explanations to the exclusion of biological genetic influences. The purpose of this descriptive review is to evaluate evidence from animal and human studies in support of gonadal hormone effects on sex differences in binge eating. Although research is in its nascent stages, findings suggest that increased prenatal testosterone exposure in males appears to protect against binge eating. Although pubertal testosterone may exert additional protective effects, the prenatal period is likely critical for the decreased risk observed in males. By contrast, studies indicate that, in females, it is the lack of prenatal testosterone coupled with the organizational effects of pubertal ovarian hormones that may lead to increased binge eating. Finally, twin data suggest that changes in genetic risk may underlie these hormone influences on sex differences across development.
ISSN:1548-5943
1548-5951
DOI:10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-032816-045309