Oxytocin or Love Hormone Helps Treat Anorexic Patients: Study

Love hormone 'Oxytocin' changes restrictive tendencies and perception of food in anorexic patients, according to recent studies.

 Oxytocin is a hormone released during sex, childbirth and breast feeding. Known for having calming effects, it is used in treating psychiatric disorders and reducing anxiety levels in people with autism.

 Recently, British and Korean researchers conducted two studies that add evidence about oxytocins as potential treatment for anorexia nervosa by altering patients' negative perception of fatty foods and large body types.

The first study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology involved comparison of 31 anorexic patients with 33 healthy participants who were either given oxytocin as a nasal spray or a placebo. The researchers noted how quickly these participants' reacted when they were shown pictures of high and low calorie foods, different body shapes and sizes.

It was found that anorexic patients who received oxytocin did not react negatively to images of fatty food and large body types.           

In the second trial, experts used the same method and participants to study their reactions to images of facial expression like anger, disapproval and happiness. Anorexic patients who were given oxytocin were less likely to look at angry faces or react to negative emotions. The study is published in the journal PLOS ONE.      

Janet Treasure, study author and professor at the King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry said, "Patients with anorexia have a range of social difficulties which often start in their early teenage years, before the onset of the illness. By using oxytocin as a potential treatment for anorexia, we are focusing on some of these underlying problems we see in patients," reports Reuters.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder categorized by extreme starvation and an obsession of a lean body and fear of weight gain. The disorder is most common in women and young girls. According to the data by the Beating Eating Disorders or BEAT, nearly 1.6 million people in the United Kingdom suffer from eating disorders and Anorexia Nervosa accounts for 10 percent of the disease condition. 

Youl-Ri Kim, researcher and professor from Inje University in Seoul, South Korea said, "Our research shows that oxytocin reduces patients' unconscious tendencies to focus on food, body shape, and negative emotions such as disgust. There is currently a lack of effective pharmacological treatments for anorexia. Our research adds important evidence to the increasing literature on oxytocin treatments for mental illnesses, and hints at the advent of a novel, ground-breaking treatment option for patients with anorexia," reports MedicalXpress.

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