A preliminary population-based twin study of self-reported eating disorder.

BACKGROUND

Twin studies have concluded that there is a substantial genetic contribution to the aetiology of eating disorders. The aim of the present study was to estimate the genetic contribution to the aetiology of self-reported eating disorders in a sample of representative twins.

METHOD: A population cohort of 34142 young Danish twins was screened for eating disorders by a mailed questionnaire.

RESULTS

Concordance rates differed significantly across monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs for broadly defined self-reported anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Heritability estimates of 0.48, 0.52 and 0.61 respectively were estimated for narrow and broad definitions of self-reported anorexia nervosa and for self-reported bulimia nervosa.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a genetic contribution to the aetiology of self-reported eating disorders in the general population. The relationship between self-reported and clinical eating disorder remains to be examined.