TY  - JOUR
A1  - Zepf, Florian Daniel
A1  - Rao, Pradeep
A1  - Runions, Kevin
A1  - Stewart, Richard M.
A1  - Moore, Julia K.
A1  - Wong, Janice W. Y.
A1  - Linden, Maike
A1  - Sungurtekin, Idil
A1  - Glass, Franziska
A1  - Gut, Linda
A1  - Peetz, Dirk
A1  - Hintereder, Gudrun
A1  - Schaab, Michael
A1  - Poustka, Fritz
A1  - Wöckel, Lars
T1  - Differences in serum zinc levels in acutely ill and remitted adolescents and young adults with bulimia nervosa in comparison with healthy controls – a cross-sectional pilot study
T2  - Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment
N2  - Background: Research has implicated that changes in zinc (Zn) metabolism may be associated with the biological underpinnings of eating disorders, in particular anorexia nervosa. However, to date research on the role of Zn in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) is scarce.
Objective: We aimed to explore serum Zn concentrations in young patients with BN, with a focus on the stage of the disorder, comparing acutely ill and recovered patients with BN with healthy controls.
Methods: Serum Zn concentrations were obtained from healthy controls and from acutely ill and remitted young patients with BN. Mean duration of remission was 4.0±3.5 years.
Results: Remitted patients showed elevated serum Zn concentrations when compared to controls (Cohen’s d=2.022), but concentrations were still in the normal range. Acutely ill patients also had higher serum Zn levels when compared to controls (all values still being within the reference range, Cohen’s d=0.882). There was no difference between acutely ill and remitted patients with BN in serum Zn concentrations. Of note, remitted patients had a significantly higher body weight when compared to the other two groups. Overall, there were no significant differences in dietary preferences with regard to Zn containing foods between the groups.
Conclusion: The present study provides preliminary evidence that the underlying factors for changes in Zn serum concentrations in young patients with BN do not vary with regard to the stage of illness (acute versus remitted BN). Further prospective research is needed in order to disentangle the possible interplay between serum Zn status and bulimic eating behaviors.
KW  - bulimia nervosa
KW  - zinc
KW  - serum concentrations
KW  - remission
KW  - eating disorders
Y1  - 2017
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/43921
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-439212
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VL  - 13
SP  - 2621
EP  - 2630
ER  -