Skip to main content
Log in

Urinary peptide levels in women with eating disorders. A pilot study

  • Original Research Paper
  • Published:
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the urinary excretion of low molecular weight peptides is increased in women with a history of anorexia nervosa/self starvation. The study group consisted of 12 women aged 20–38 years who were treated in a specialised day care unit for eating disorders in Stockholm between January and December 1998; the controls were eight women with primary bulimia treated in the same unit (A) and ten healthy women without any eating disorder (B). The chromatographically measured urinary peptide levels in the study group were significantly higher than those in control group A (and B when one highly influential individual with very low peptide excretion in the study group was excluded from the analyses). These findings offer some support to the speculative hypothesis that eating disorder symptoms may be linked to increased levels of neuroactive peptides, although it is necessary to define the peptides further before any definite conclusion can be drawn. Furthermore, the study group was characterised by many interpersonal differences in eating behaviour that could explain the increased urinary peptide levels.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. APA. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, Ed. 4 (DSM-IV). Washington, DC, APA Press, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ward A., Tiller J., Treasure J., Russell G.: Eating disorders: psyche or soma? Int. J. Eat. Disord., 27, 279–287, 2000.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kipman A., Gorwood P., Mouren-Simeoni M.C., Ades J.: Genetic factors in anorexia nervosa. European Psychiatry. J. Assoc. European Psychiatrists, 14, 189–198, 1999.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Copeland P.M., Sacks N.R., Herzog D.B.: Longitudinal follow-up of amenorrhea in eating disorders. Psychosom. Med., 57, 121–126, 1995.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Klibanski A., Biller B.M., Schoenfeld D.A., Herzog D.B., Saxe V.C.: The effects of estrogen administration on trabecular bone loss in young women with anorexia nervosa. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 80, 898–904, 1995.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Stacher G., Abatzi-Wenzel T.A., Wiesnagrotzki S., Bergmann H., Schneider C., Gaupmann G.: Gastric emptying, body weight and symptoms in primary anorexia nervosa. Long-term effects of cisapride [see comments]. Br. J. Psychiatry, 162, 398–402, 1993.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. de Simone G., Scalfì L., Galderisi M., Celentano A., Di Biase G., Tammaro P., et al.: Cardiac abnormalities in young women with anorexia nervosa. Br. Heart J. 71, 287–292, 1994.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Muller B., Herpertz S., Heussen N., Neudorfl A., Wewetzer C., Remschmidt H., et al.: Personality disorders and psychiatric morbidity in adolescent anorexia nervosa. Results of a prospective 10 year catamnesis. Z. Kinder Jugendpsychiatr., 28, 81–91, 2000.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. NiIsson E.W, Gillberg C., Gillberg I.C., Rastam M.: Ten-year follow-up of adolescent-onset anorexia nervosa: personality disorders. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry, 38, 1389–1395, 1999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Godart N.T., Flament M.F., Lecrubier Y., Jeammet P.: Anxiety disorders in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: co-morbidity and chronology of appearance. European Psychiatry. J. Assoc. Eur. Psychiatrists, 15, 38–45, 2000.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Favaro A., Santonastaso P.: Suicidality in eating disorders: clinical and psychological correlates. Acta Psychiatr. Scand., 95, 508–514, 1997.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Kaye V.M., Gendall K., Kye C.: The role of the central nervous system in the psychoneuroendocrine disturbances of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Psychiatr. Clin. North Am., 21, 381–396, 1998.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pirke K.M.: Central and peripheral noradrenalin regulation in eating disorders. Psychiatry Res., 62, 43–49, 1996.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Brewerton T.D.: Toward a unified theory of serotonin dysregulation in eating and related disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinol., 20, 561–590, 1995.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Rockwell W.J., Nishita J.K., Ellinwood E.H. Jr.: Anorexia nervosa. Current perspectives in research. Psychiatr. Clin North Am., 7, 223–233, 1984.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kaye V.M., Berrettini W., Gwirtsman H., George D.T.: Altered cerebrospinal fluid neuropeptide Y and peptide YY immunoreactivity in anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry, 47, 548–556, 1990.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Trygstad O.E. Reichelt K.L., Foss I., Edminson P.D., Saelid G., Bremer J., et al.: Patterns of peptides and protein-associated-peptide complexes in psychiatric disorders. Br. J. Psychiatry, 136, 59–72, 1980.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Yarbrough G.G.: TRH potentiates excitatory actions of acetylcholine on cerebral cortical neurones. Nature, 263, 523–524, 1976.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Versteeg D.H., Tanaka M., De Kloet E.R., Van Ree J.M., De Wied D.: ProlyI-leucyl glycinamide, (PLG); regional effects on alpha-MPT-induced catecholamine disappearance in rat brain. Brain Res., 143, 561–566, 1978.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Reichelt K.L., Foss I., Trygstad O., Edminson P.D., Johansen J.H., Boler J.B.: Humoral control of appetite-IL Purification and characterization of an anorexogenic peptide from human urine. Neuroscience, 3, 1207–1211, 1978.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Nance D.M., Coy D.H., Kastin A.L.: Experiments with a reported anorexigenic tripeptide: pyro-GIu-His-Gly-OH. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav., 11, 733–735, 1979.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Bjorkman S., KarIsson J.A., Sievertsson H., Lewander T., Bowers C.Y.: Synthesis and lack of biological activity of GIu-His-Gly, a proposed anorexogenic peptide. Acta Pharm. Suec., 17, 130–136, 1980.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Bodlund O., Grann M., Ottosson H., Svanborg C.: Validation of the self-report questionnaire DIP-Q in diagnosing DSM-IV personality disorders: a comparison of three psychiatric samples. Acta Psychiatr. Scand., 97, 433–439, 1998.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bohlen P., Castillo F., Ling N., Guillemin R.: Purification of peptides: an efficient procedure for the separation of peptides from amino acids and salt. Int. J. Pept. Protein Res., 16, 306–310, 1980.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Reichelt V.M., Ek J., Stensrud M., Reichelt K.L.: Peptide excretion in celiac disease. J. Pediatr. Gastroenterol. Nutr., 26, 305–309, 1998.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Stata. Stata User’s Guide [Computer program ma-nual]. College Station, Stata Press, Texas, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Watanabe Y., Kojima-Komatsu T., Iwaki-Egawa S., Fujimoto Y.: Increased excretion of proline-containing peptides in dipeptidyl pepti-dase IV-deficient rats. Res. Commun. Chem. Pathol. Pharmacol., 81, 323–330, 1993.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Gardner M.L.G.: Absorption of intact proteins and peptides. In: Johnson L.R. (Ed.), Physiology of the gastrointestinal tract. New York, Raven Press, 1994, pp. 1795–1820.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Maxton D.G., Menzies I.S., Slavin B., Thompson R.P.: Small-intestinal function during enteral feeding and starvation in man. Clin. Sci., 77, 401–406, 1989.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Husby S., Jensenius J.C., Svehag SE.: Passage of undegraded dietary antigen into the blood of healthy adults. Quantification, estimation of size distribution, and relation of uptake to levels of specific antibodies. Scand. J. Immunol., 22, 83–92, 1985.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Hellzén M.D..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hellzén, M., Larsson, J.O., Reichelt, K.L. et al. Urinary peptide levels in women with eating disorders. A pilot study. Eat Weight Disord 8, 55–61 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324989

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03324989

Key words

Navigation