Fresh bid to solve causes behind eating disorders

Perth Now

19-05-2025

Elise Griffin still remembers when she first began restricting her food intake and increasing her workouts, after an offhand comment from a family member about her stomach.
She was just 12 and quickly became hyper-critical of her body.
In the years that followed, she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a condition that gradually worsened, persisting through high school and into early adulthood, as well as lingering in the wake of her first relationship break-up.
"I had no tools or anything to really deal with my anxiety. I turned to the one thing that would create a sense of control and calm in the chaos," she told AAP.
At 19 she dropped to her lowest weight and became extremely sick.
"It could have taken my life at that point," she said.
It wasn't until a second relapse in her early 30s that she began to accept her illness.
"I had a much greater level of self-awareness and I didn't want that in my life. I was able to really hear the voices that were my eating disorder and become aware of that," she said.
Now 39, Ms Griffin is sharing her story as part of a national call for thousands of volunteers to join the world's largest genetic study into the risk factors behind complex eating disorders.
Triple Olympian Lisa Curry is leading the call after the death of her beloved 33-year-old daughter Jaimi, who was trapped in an eating disorder for 18 years.
"Individuals and families affected deserve answers, earlier intervention, and personalised treatments that work," Curry said.
The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative will bring together global experts to help unravel the complex genetic and environmental puzzle behind eating disorders.
"Identifying the genes that predispose people to eating disorders will revolutionise future research into causes, treatment and prevention of the illnesses," Sarah Maguire, co-investigator on the study said.
The research aims to expand on previous work with a larger sample size to better understand genetic risks, vulnerabilities and protective factors, which could lead to earlier and personalised treatment.
"It is probably the single most important research study in eating disorders going on anywhere in the world," Professor Maguire added.
"This is the study that can yield a pathway forward."
More than 1.1 million Australians have an eating disorder, according to a 2023-24 report by the Butterfly Foundation.
Ms Griffin, who works as a breathwork and meditation facilitator, hopes that number will drop with more awareness and research.
"Perhaps if I had an understanding that there could have been a genetic predisposition to an eating disorder, that I could have had the tools in place," she said.
Researchers aim to recruit more than 4000 Australians, including people with a lived experience along with a control group, who have never had an eating disorder aged 40 or older, by December 31.
People who are interested in volunteering or learning more are encouraged to visit the Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative website.
Lifeline 13 11 14
Butterfly Foundation 1800 334 673