Case-control study, 1994
Do women with bulimia nervosa have higher testosterone levels than women without it?
Yes. Women with bulimia had significantly higher free testosterone (6.0 vs 3.9 pmol/l), suggesting androgens may play a role in poor impulse control. However, the study was small.
What they did
Researchers compared hormone levels in 11 women with normal-weight bulimia nervosa to hormone levels in age-matched women without bulimia.
What they found
Women with bulimia had significantly higher serum levels of free testosterone than control women (6.0 plus or minus 0.7 vs 3.9 plus or minus 0.8 pmol/l; p equals 0.03). The authors suggest androgens may be important in conditions involving poor impulse control.
What it means for you
Women with bulimia have higher testosterone than women without it, which might help explain difficulties with impulse control. However, the study is small and doesn't prove testosterone causes bulimia, just that the two are associated. This doesn't relate directly to PMS or PMDD.
11
women with bulimia
6.0 pmol/l
testosterone in bulimia group
3.9 pmol/l
testosterone in control group
About the study
- Original title
- High levels of free testosterone in women with bulimia nervosa
- Authors
- Sundblad C, Bergman L, Eriksson E
- Journal
- Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
- Year
- 1994
- Study design
- Case-control study
- Participants
- 11
- What was tested
- None; this was a comparison study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0447.1994.tb01613.x
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