Anorexia, a life-threatening eating disorder, often centers on weight loss fixation and is considered a mental illness. While talk therapy, specifically family-based therapy, is a common treatment, it is only successful for roughly half of those affected, predominantly women and girls. Individuals who do not respond to this therapy may end up in a cycle of weight gain and malnutrition recovery, followed by weight loss and organ damage, including brain alterations due to starvation.
Canadian researchers are now exploring a new strategy that leverages the growing knowledge of the gut-brain connection. They plan to experiment with fecal transplants for teenagers with anorexia to alter their gut bacteria. Dr. Jennifer Couturier, a child psychiatrist and associate professor of psychiatry at McMaster University in Ontario, emphasized the importance of early intervention during adolescence to potentially change the course of the disorder.
In this approach, known as fecal microbial transplants, a sample of stool from a healthy donor is treated to isolate beneficial bacteria. The microbiome is then encapsulated for consumption by the recipient for therapeutic purposes. Couturier’s team has received approval from Health Canada to conduct a clinical trial involving 20 females aged 12 to 17 diagnosed with anorexia. Participants will receive oral capsules alongside standard family-based treatment or family-based treatment alone.
The research team at McMaster will utilize the hospital’s stool bank for donations, ensuring safety and quality control. Dr. Nikhil Pai, a pediatric gastroenterologist at McMaster Children’s Hospital, highlighted the hospital’s contribution to funding the trial and maintaining the pediatric stool bank with rigorously screened donors.
Animal studies have shown promising outcomes with gut microbe transplantation in anorexia models, indicating potential benefits for human participants. The malleability of gut microbiomes in children and teenagers further supports the potential effectiveness of this treatment approach.
By monitoring weight, mood, and microbiome changes through saliva, urine, and stool samples, researchers aim to evaluate the impact of fecal transplants on individuals with anorexia. The study will follow participants for eight weeks during treatment and an additional four weeks post-treatment to assess responses and microbiome alterations.
Understanding the influence of gut microbes on brain function is a growing area of research. Anorexia, often considered a “metabo-psychiatric problem,” involves a complex interplay between brain and body vulnerabilities. Researchers believe that fecal transplants from healthy donors could offer a novel therapeutic avenue for individuals with anorexia.
Treatment approaches for anorexia, such as family-based therapy, may need to be tailored to consider the metabolic basis of the disorder. Addressing the dysregulation in the body’s response to food intake, including types of food and meal pacing, could be crucial in improving outcomes for individuals with anorexia.