Learn about eating disorder research

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen, the University of Edinburgh, and Cardiff University took a close look at studies on Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) to help us understand it better. Here is what they found:

• How common is ARFID? It’s hard to say. Different studies estimate that it affects anywhere between 0.3% to 17.9% of people, which is a big range!
• Who gets ARFID? People with autism or ADHD are more likely to have it than neurotypical people. It also seems to start earlier in life than other feeding and eating disorders.
• Treatment for ARFID needs much more research. This makes it hard to know what works best and has meant that treatment is not always available.
• Living with ARFID can be tough. It can lead to weight loss, stunted growth, stomach problems, and even severe malnutrition. It can also make it hard to be social and enjoy work or school.
• Getting help can be tricky. Many people do not know much about ARFID, and sometimes people do not realise how serious it can be. There is no standard way to get help, which makes things even harder. It is unclear how long it usually takes for people to get diagnosed and start treatment.

Neuroscience and eating disorders

Neuroscience is an area of research that explores brain communication (i.e. how cells “talk” with each other) with the goal of understanding our thoughts, behaviours, and bodily functions.

Eating Disorders in Transgender and Non-binary people

Transgender and non-binary (TNB) people are those whose gender is different from the sex they were assumed to be at birth. This includes trans men, trans women, nonbinary, agender, intersex, genderqueer and genderfluid people, as well as people with traditional or Indigenous gender identities..

In the UK, at least 0.5% of people identify as TNB (Office for National Statistics, 2023). Most research on eating disorders has focused on cisgender people – those whose gender matches the sex they were assumed to be at birth. However, in the last decade, more attention has been given to understanding eating disorders among TNB people.