Overview
- The international meta-analysis, published Wednesday, August 19, 2026, pooled 27 datasets and compared almost 40,000 people with binge-eating behavior and about 25,000 people with anorexia nervosa to more than 1.2 million controls.
- Researchers identified six genomic loci associated with binge-eating behavior and eight loci associated with anorexia nervosa in predominantly European-ancestry samples.
- The study found that the genetic signals for binge eating and for anorexia are distinct from the genes linked to body mass index, though some binge-eating loci are near known body-size genes such as FTO.
- Authors say the results point to eating disorders having both psychiatric and metabolic biology, and they plan immediate follow-up work to include more disorder types, expand national cohorts such as New Zealand’s, and increase ancestry diversity.
- These findings build on prior genetic work on anorexia from 2019 and signal a shift toward studying biological subtypes of eating disorders to inform more precise research and, eventually, targeted treatments.