Global Anorexia And Bulimia Cases Rise 71% As Experts Flag GLP-1 Misuse
A new analysis published in JAMA Psychiatry on October 28 estimates that anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa rose 71% worldwide between 1990 and 2023.
1 source 6d ago
Reporting from 1 source: ASCII.jp.
Why it matters
The study counts only anorexia and bulimia, and Levinson says those two make up less than half of all eating disorders, so the 71% figure is a floor rather than the full scale of the problem.
Key Facts
- The analysis was published in JAMA Psychiatry on October 28.
- Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa rose 71% worldwide between 1990 and 2023.
- About 18.1 million people had one of the two disorders in 2023.
- Dr. Bai Luhai of the Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University led the research, which covered 204 countries and regions.
- Professor Cheri Levinson of the University of Louisville says many of her patients are misusing GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
Led by Dr. Bai Luhai of the Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, the study covered 204 countries and regions and put the 2023 total at about 18.1 million people. Professor Cheri Levinson of the University of Louisville, who was not involved, says many of her patients are misusing GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
The estimate rests on data pooled from studies and surveys across 204 countries and regions, with statistical models filling gaps. Bai's team also measured the health burden in disability-adjusted life years: about 3.83 million healthy life years lost worldwide in 2023. The same model projects 21.8 million cases of the two disorders by 2050. Levinson, who has treated eating disorders for about 20 years, places the blame for part of the worsening on GLP-1 drugs, which she says many of her patients misuse. Bai's paper does not make that connection.
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Sources
- ASCII.jp 拒食症・過食症が世界で71%増、専門家はGLP-1薬の誤用に警鐘