Hair helps diagnose anorexia
Researchers at BYU make discovery
By Katie Kellogg, senior writer
Posted on October 23, 2006

A recent study published by researchers at Brigham Young University found that human hair could be beneficial in the diagnosis of anorexia and bulimia.

According to Kent Hatch, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of integrative biology at BYU, previous methods of diagnosing eating disorders have relied strongly on subjective measures such as surveys and questionnaires that may not always be accurate.

“Hair works like a tape recorder,” Hatch said. “As it grows, it records information like whether a patient is taking drugs or their nutritional condition.” Hatch also said people with eating disorders often try to hide that fact, making surveys and questionnaires misleading. Studying a sample of a patient’s hair would give doctors an objective means of determining a patient’s dietary practices.

The study came about after Hatch, who was studying hair samples of carnivorous bears to determine their dietary and migration habits, teamed up with Steve Thomsen, one of the study’s co-authors and the director of BYU’s communications research center, who studies the impact of the media on women’s body images. Thomsen was looking for a means to objectively diagnose eating disorders.

“Because of the nature of eating disorders, I was concerned about the accuracy of surveys,” Thomsen said.

Hatch suggested his research into the hair samples from bears might also be helpful in determining whether or not a human being suffered from anorexia or bulimia.

The study used samples of hair from a group of women who were in a treatment facility for eating disorders and a pre-screened control group to compare the presence of specific forms of carbon and nitrogen. The study showed with an 80 percent accuracy level that researchers were able to determine which of the participants suffered from eating disorders.

According to the JMU Health Center’s Web site, approximately 5 to 20 percent of college-aged females and 1 to 7 percent of males suffer from eating disorders. Without treatment, up to 20 percent of people with eating disorders die.

“It is clear that eating disorders are a big issue in society,” said Morgan Crawford who worked on the study as an undergrad at BYU.
 
In addition to aiding doctors in diagnosing new patients, researchers said hair would also help doctors monitor whether or not patients who have left treatment facilities have relapsed.

“With this, we are able to pinpoint more specifically what their body needs,” said Amanda Kunz, who also worked on the study as an undergrad at BYU.

This is especially significant because according to Thomsen, eating disorders are often difficult to treat and patients often relapse.

“It is not uncommon for women to be in and out of treatment for years,” he said.

Doctors could use hair samples to make sure that once a patient left a treatment facility, or someone who was seeking outpatient care, was following a proper diet.

“Certainly someone who is seeking treatment for an eating disorder in a clinic is in a very controlled environment, but eventually they have to leave,” Hatch said.

Researchers will be conducting further studies to further the accuracy of the test as well as to examine how some special groups such as competitive athletes, vegetarians and vegans and overweight people who are on controlled diets might affect the results.

“It is still in the testing phases,” Crawford said. “It is an idea that has not be explored before.”