On Episode 5 of Nourished, a limited series that premiered right here on KGNU exploring the wild world of eating disorders, KGNU’s Jackie Sedley sat down with someone who has also struggled with anorexia – someone they know very intimately.
Listen:
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APublicAffair_2025-06-30 (1) Jackie Sedley
Eating disorders are known as “perfect storm” illnesses, since their development can be attributed to a mix of different influences – sociocultural factors, psychiatric comorbidities, and personality traits all play a huge role in eating disorder development – as do genetics.
A groundbreaking study back in 2003 found that people with anorexia share a set of genetic abnormalities. This means the disorder can run in families – according to the research, people born into a family touched by anorexia are 11 times more likely to develop the condition compared to others.
Researchers found three candidate genes that were all unusual in people with anorexia, connected to appetite, anxiety, and depression. Research on the role genetics play in the risk for developing an eating disorder is still emerging, but this study and others like them suggest a significant part of anorexia risk in particular may be genetic.
KGNU’s Jackie Sedley and their mother, Debbie Sedley, share many things – including anorexia.
The two sat down together on Debbie’s 70th birthday to talk about the bond they share due to their eating disorders – for better or for worse.
Resources:
National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD)
Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders
UC San Diego Eating Disorders Center for Treatment and Research
There are many types of eating disorders. The most commonly diagnosed are:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Binge-eating disorder
- Bulimia nervosa
- Orthorexia
- Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
KGNU’s Jackie Sedley gave the timeline of their own eating disorder recovery in episode 1 of this series. You can listen to that here.
