Predictors of Outcome in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.

Objective: Cognitive-behavioral therapy for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID; CBT-AR) shows promise in improving clinical outcomes in children/adolescents and adults. We aimed to identify predictors of outcomes in CBT-AR. We hypothesized that younger age, non-underweight status, and presence of the fear of aversive consequences profile of ARFID would predict greater likelihood of remission post-treatment, and that presence of the lack of interest in eating/food and sensory sensitivity profiles would predict greater likelihood of persistence post-treatment.

Trajectory of ghrelin and PYY around a test meal in males and females with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder versus healthy controls.

Disruptions in appetite-regulating hormones may contribute to the development and/or maintenance of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). No study has previously assessed fasting levels of orexigenic ghrelin or anorexigenic peptide YY (PYY), nor their trajectory in response to food intake among youth with ARFID across the weight spectrum. We measured fasting and postprandial (30, 60, 120 minutes post-meal) levels of ghrelin and PYY among 127 males and females with full and subthreshold ARFID (n = 95) and healthy controls (HC; n = 32).

Intranasal Oxytocin for Obesity.

Background: Accumulating preclinical and preliminary translational evidence shows that the hypothalamic peptide oxytocin reduces food intake, increases energy expenditure, and promotes weight loss. It is currently unknown whether oxytocin administration is effective in treating human obesity.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned adults with obesity 1:1 (stratified by sex and obesity class) to receive intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo four times daily for 8 weeks.

Low bone mineral density is found in low weight female youth with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and associated with higher PYY levels.

Background: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a restrictive eating disorder commonly associated with medical complications of undernutrition and low weight. In adolescence, a critical time for bone accrual, the impact of ARFID on bone health is uncertain. We aimed to study bone health in low-weight females with ARFID, as well as the association between peptide YY (PYY), an anorexigenic hormone with a role in regulation of bone metabolism, and bone mineral density (BMD) in these individuals.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 8-week intranasal oxytocin administration in adults with obesity: Rationale, study design, and methods.

Background: Obesity affects more than one-third of adults in the U.S., and effective treatment options are urgently needed.

Ghrelin and PYY in low-weight females with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder compared to anorexia nervosa and healthy controls.

Background: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is characterized by restrictive eating and failure to meet nutritional needs but is distinct from anorexia nervosa (AN) because restriction is not motivated by weight/shape concerns. We examined levels of orexigenic ghrelin and anorexigenic peptide YY (PYY) in young females with ARFID, AN and healthy controls (HC).

Methods: 94 females (22 low-weight ARFID, 40 typical/atypical AN, and 32 HC ages 10-22 years) underwent fasting blood draws for total ghrelin and total PYY.

Medical comorbidities and endocrine dysfunction in low-weight females with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder compared to anorexia nervosa and healthy controls.

Objective: To improve our understanding of medical complications and endocrine alterations in patients with low-weight avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and how they may differ from those in anorexia nervosa (AN) and healthy controls (HC).

Method: We performed an exploratory cross-sectional study comparing low-weight females with ARFID (n = 20) with females with AN (n = 42) and HC (n = 49) with no history of an eating disorder.

Results: We found substantial overlap in medical comorbidities and endocrine features in ARFID and AN, but with earlier onset of aberrant eating behaviors in ARFID.

Lower Oxytocin Levels Are Associated with Lower Bone Mineral Density and Less Favorable Hip Geometry in Hypopituitary Men.

Introduction: Hypopituitary patients are at risk for bone loss. Hypothalamic-posterior pituitary hormones oxytocin and vasopressin are anabolic and catabolic, respectively, to the skeleton. Patients with hypopituitarism may be at risk for oxytocin deficiency.

A Diet High in Processed Foods, Total Carbohydrates and Added Sugars, and Low in Vegetables and Protein Is Characteristic of Youth with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is characterized in part by limited dietary variety, but dietary characteristics of this disorder have not yet been systematically studied. Our objective was to examine dietary intake defined by diet variety, macronutrient intake, and micronutrient intake in children and adolescents with full or subthreshold ARFID in comparison to healthy controls. We collected and analyzed four-day food record data for 52 participants with full or subthreshold ARFID, and 52 healthy controls, aged 9-22 years.

Disrupted Oxytocin-Appetite Signaling in Females With Anorexia Nervosa.

Context: In healthy females, oxytocin levels decrease postmeal, corresponding to increased satiety. The postprandial response of oxytocin in females with anorexia nervosa (AN)/atypical AN is unknown.

Objectives: To determine the pattern of postprandial serum oxytocin levels in females with AN/atypical AN, relationship with appetite, and effect of weight, eating behavior, and endogenous estrogen status.

Low Plasma Oxytocin Levels and Increased Psychopathology in Hypopituitary Men With Diabetes Insipidus.

Context: Oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin share anatomical pathways of synthesis and secretion, and patients with central diabetes insipidus (CDI) presumably are at risk for OT deficiency. However, an OT-deficient state in hypopituitary patients has not been established.

Objectives: We hypothesized that men with CDI compared to patients with similar anterior pituitary deficiencies (APD) but no CDI and healthy controls (HC) of similar age and body mass index, would have lower plasma OT levels, associated with increased psychopathology.

Endogenous Oxytocin Levels in Relation to Food Intake, Menstrual Phase, and Age in Females.

Context: Oxytocin regulates a range of physiological processes including eating behavior and oxytocin administration reduces caloric intake in males. There are few data on oxytocin and eating behavior in healthy females or on the response of endogenous oxytocin to food intake and its relationship to appetite in humans.

Objectives: To determine the postprandial pattern of oxytocin levels, the relationship between oxytocin and appetite, and the impact of menstrual cycle phase and age on oxytocin levels in females.

Oxytocin secretion is pulsatile in men and is related to social-emotional functioning.

Unlabelled: The hypothalamic hormone oxytocin (OXT) plays an important role in a range of physiological processes and social-emotional functioning in both sexes. In women, physiological stimuli, such as suckling and parturition, result in pulsatile release of OXT into the peripheral circulation via the posterior pituitary gland. However, data regarding OXT secretory patterns in men during a state of rest are limited.