Overview

• Peer‑reviewed papers published Sept. 4 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatologynd in GaGastroenterology report that biology and life circumstances jointly shape eating behaviors.
• Researchers describe how stressors tied to income, education, health care access, discrimination, neighborhood conditions, and isolation can disrupt brain–gut–microbiome communication and drive cravings for high‑calorie foods.
• In the first general‑population analysis of its kind, more than one‑third of adults with disorders of gut–brain interaction screened positive for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder symptoms.
• Individuals with gut–brain interaction disorders who screened positive for ARFID reported greater health burdens and lower quality of life regardless of body mass index.
• The authors call for systematic ARFID screening in GI settings plus personalized, multidisciplinary care that addresses biological drivers as well as the reasons behind patients’ eating choices.