Hormonal
Heterozygous mutations in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) gene are a primary genetic cause of severe obesity and are strongly associated with the clinical phenotype of binge-eating disorder.
If you have severe obesity and struggle with binge eating, standard dieting may fail because of a genetic mutation in your MC4R gene. This mutation disrupts the signal that tells your brain you are full. Recognizing this biological driver is crucial because it suggests that standard caloric restriction might be insufficient, and treatments targeting the melanocortin pathway (like specific agonists) may be more effective than willpower alone.
Binge eating is a major phenotypic characteristic of subjects with a mutation in MC4R, a candidate gene for the control of eating behavior.
Why this rating
Large sample size (469 subjects), rigorous genetic sequencing, and blinded phenotypic assessment by multiple professionals.
Source
Binge Eating as a Major Phenotype of Melanocortin 4 Receptor Gene Mutations
Ruth Branson et al. · New England Journal of Medicine · 2003
DOI 10.1056/nejmoa021971
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