title: Anorexia nervosa, seasonality, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
abstract: Anorexia nervosa is a serious neurobehavioral disorder marked by semistarvation, extreme fear of weight gain, frequently hyperactivity, and low body temperature. The etiology remains unknown. We present a speculation that a primary causative factor is that polyunsaturated fatty acids are skewed to prevent oxidative damage in phospholipid membranes. This causes a change in the trade off of oxidation protection vs homeoviscous adaptation to lower temperatures, which sets off a metabolic cascade that leads to the rogue state of anorexia nervosa.
authors.affiliation: Boston University, Department of Psychology, 64 Cummington Street, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: scolnick@bu.edu.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scolnick
authors.affiliation: Boston University, Department of Psychology, 64 Cummington Street, Boston, MA, United States. Electronic address: dmostof@bu.edu.
authors.forename: David I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Mostofsky
mesh_terms: D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D012621:Seasons
chemical_list: D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated