兒童時期的BMI與日后的貪食、厭食有關

Among adolescents, body image can be a very fragile thing. A new report finds eating disorders not only impact those trying to lose weight, but can also affect children who are already skinny. Researchers say girls with a low body mass index (BMI) early on in childhood may be at a high risk of developing anorexia nervosa later on. Conversely, young girls with a high BMI are more at risk for bulimia nervosa.

在青少年中，身體形象是一個非常脆弱的東西。一份新的報告發(fā)現，飲食失調不僅影響那些試圖減肥的人，還可能影響到已經很瘦的孩子。研究人員說，小時候體重指數(BMI)很低的女孩可能在以后患神經性厭食癥的風險很高。相反，體重指數高的年輕女孩患神經性貪食癥的風險更大。

“By examining the records of thousands of girls over their lifetime in national health registers, we have discovered early warning profiles that could signal girls at risk for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa”, says lead author Dr. Britt Wang Jensen from Denmark’s Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in a media release. “The difference in childhood BMI of girls who later developed eating disorders started to emerge at an early age. These results highlight the importance of regularly monitoring weight and height during childhood to identify these patterns as early as possible.”

“通過檢查國家健康登記冊上數千名女孩一生的記錄，我們發(fā)現了一些早期預警特征，可能預示女孩有神經性厭食癥和神經性貪食癥風險。”來自丹麥Bispebjerg和Frederiksberg醫(yī)院的Britt Wang Jensen博士在媒體發(fā)布中表示，后來患上飲食失調的女孩，在兒童BMI方面的差異在很小的時候就開始顯現出來。這些結果凸顯了在兒童時期定期監(jiān)測體重和身高以盡早發(fā)現這些模式的重要性。”

Rates of anorexia and bulimia among adolescents, especially girls, continue to rise on a year-over-year and decade-over-decade basis. However, the exact connection between BMI years before and the onset of these conditions remains unclear. Prior research has ultimately produced conflicting results.

青少年(尤其是女孩)的厭食癥和貪食癥的發(fā)生率逐年增加，十年來持續(xù)上升。然而，多年前的體重指數和這些疾病的發(fā)病之間的確切聯系仍然不清楚。先前的研究最終產生了相互矛盾的結果。

So, to find some answers Danish researchers analyzed data pertaining to 66,576 girls from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (born between 1960 and 1996). Those records included information on height and weight measured during annual school health examinations between ages seven to 13. Meanwhile, researchers tracked specific bulimia and anorexia diagnoses using the Danish National Patient Register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register.

因此，為了找到一些答案，丹麥研究人員分析了來自哥本哈根學校健康記錄登記冊中66576名女孩的數據，這些女孩出生于1960年至1996年。這些資料記錄了7歲至13歲的身高和體重信息，每年由學校健康檢查中測量。同時，研究人員還使用了丹麥國家患者登記冊和丹麥精神病學中心研究登記冊，以追蹤特定的貪食癥和厭食癥診斷。

When do these eating disorders begin to surface?

這些飲食失調什么時候開始出現?

Over that entire time period, 514 women were diagnosed with anorexia. Researchers say the average age at the time of these diagnoses was 20 years-old. Another 315 women received a bulimia diagnosis, typically around the age of 23.

在此期間，514名女性被診斷出厭食癥。研究人員說，診斷時的平均年齡是20歲。另有315名婦女被診斷為貪食癥，年齡通常在23歲左右。

Interestingly, a closer analysis showed “inverse associations” between childhood BMI and anorexia later on. For instance, take two girls with a BMI difference of about five pounds. The somewhat heavier girl had a 50 percent higher risk of developing bulimia than the leaner child in later life. At age 13, the risk was 33 percent higher.

有趣的是，一項更深入的分析顯示，兒童時期的體重指數與后來的厭食癥之間存在“負相關”。例如，以兩個體重指數相差約5磅的女孩為例，體重稍重的女孩在晚年患上貪食癥的風險比瘦的高出50%，而在13歲時，患病風險高33%。

Additionally, in comparison to girls with a normal weight at seven years-old, overweight participants had twice the risk of developing bulimia nervosa years later.

此外，與7歲時體重正常的女孩相比，超重者在幾年后患神經性貪食癥的風險是正常女孩的兩倍。

Study authors stress that more research is needed before any conclusive statements can be made regarding bulimia, anorexia, and BMI.

研究作者強調，在做出關于貪食癥、厭食癥和體重指數的結論性陳述之前，還需要更多的研究。