NEW DELHI: Women with hormonal condition PCOS could be at about 50% more risk of developing eating disorders, including bingeing, according to a new study. Affecting roughly one in eight to 10 women in their reproductive ages globally, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is marked by higher-than-usual testosterone levels and related symptoms, including irregular menstrual cycles and excess body hair.
The analysis is the first to confirm “an increased risk of specific eating disorders, including bulimia nervosa, commonly called bulimia, and binge eating disorder” among women affected by the hormonal condition, according to first author Laura Cooney, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, US.
Bulimia is marked by episodes of binge-eating, followed by resorting to means to avoid weight gain, which can include induced vomiting, excessive exercising or fasting.
Women having PCOS are known to be at a higher risk of experiencing metabolic disorders, such as diabetes, and reproductive issues, including infertility. “Many women with PCOS experience weight stigma, and that can be detrimental to mental health generally, and contribute to disordered eating,” Cooney said.
For the study, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the authors looked at results from 20 cross-sectional studies across nine countries. Data from close to 29,000 women with PCOS and over 2.5 lakh women not having the condition were included in the analysis.
“Individuals with PCOS had higher odds of any eating disorder, which persisted in studies where PCOS was diagnosed by Rotterdam criteria,” the authors wrote.
