Scientists have identified a gene that could influence the risk of developing anorexia nervosa, a finding that shifts the focus from the brain to the body. A study supported by Michigan State University found that patients with anorexia were nearly four times more likely to carry rare variants of the PLIN4 gene compared to a healthy reference population. The gene regulates how cells store fat, suggesting that altered fat metabolism may play a role in the development of the eating disorder.
A genetic signal exists outside the brain. Previous research on anorexia has often focused on the brain or behavior. The new research, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, points instead to how the body stores energy. PLIN4 is primarily active in fat and muscle tissue rather than the brain. This finding challenges the long-held belief that the genes contributing to anorexia are expressed in the central nervous system.
The study involved 154 patients with a strong family history of the disorder or unusual clinical features. About 11 percent of these patients carried rare variants of PLIN4 that were predicted to damage the gene. In six patients, the variants were especially disruptive, and in four of those cases, a close relative with an eating disorder carried the same genetic change.
“The idea of an anorexic gene not in the brain is completely novel,” said Michael Lutter, a former University of Iowa researcher who now treats patients with eating disorders. Lutter has spent decades searching for genetic links to the condition, comparing the search to identifying genes like BRCA1 and BRCA2 that dramatically increase cancer risk.
Tracing biological pathways toward new treatments
Searching for genetic variants that increase anorexia risk is a priority for researchers. This disease occurs 10-fold higher in women than in men. Decades of twin studies, such as the Michigan Twins Project, indicate someone with a first-degree relative who has anorexia is five to 10 times more likely to develop it than the general population. The identification of rare damaging variants in the PLIN4 gene in patients with anorexia nervosa, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, adds to this understanding. The study’s DOI is 10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1937613.