Picture Blurrfect

Jason Nagata, MD, MS, from the University of California San Francisco joins the podcast to share his recent work in examining the prevalence of preadolescent eating disorders in the U.S. Additionally, Dr. Nagata explains the role and importance of vitamin D in eating disorder recovery, sharing recent results he recently published on vitamin D levels among males hospitalized for eating disorders. The results further underscore just how understudied male eating disorders are.

Papers Mentioned in the Episode:
1. Murray et al., 2022: The Prevalence of Preadolescent Eating Disorders in the United States
2. Nagata et al., 2022: Assessment of vitamin D among male adolescents and young adults hospitalized with eating disorders. 

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Naomi shares what she's been personally going through over the last 1.5 years but has been wary of opening up due to the sheer stigma of the topic... unfortunately, though,  so many individuals go through this particular struggle and it is one that has the potential of wrecking your recovery alongside your mental and emotional wellbeing. 

If you're struggling with a challenging life circumstance, it's important to stay grounded--have your support system in tow and the strength to be transparent every step of the way, especially if you are tempted to revert back to old, unhealthy behaviors. 

You are not alone. You are amazing and worthy.

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Naomi revisits The Wall Street Journal expose on how Facebook was made aware  of internal research data showing the negative impacts of its app Instagram on young people and failed to act. What did the expose say and have we made any progress in making social media a positive tool for young people? Why DOES Instagram suck us into the "compare and despair" spiral and what does that mean for eating disorder recovery?

To read the WSJ expose, click here.
The 2017 TIME Magazine article Naomi references can be accessed here, which cites a survey from the UK's Royal Society for Public Health

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TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains details about eating and exercises habits related to eating disorders. Please ensure you are in a safe place mentally and emotionally before listening, and seek help if you need assistance (resources below).

In a very special episode of Picture Blurrfect, Aggie, Blanca, and Adam join the podcast to share their story of living with and recovering from an eating disorder--the challenges, the triggers, and the life changes. Importantly, the group discusses just how rewarding (but terrifying) the step towards recovery is. But life on the other side is so much better. We promise

You are never alone. Resources to consider if you feel that you're struggling:

• National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) (U.S.)
• Eating Disorder Anonymous 
• Beat Eating Disorders ("Beat") (U.K.)

Follow the amazing Aggie (@AggieLaboe), Blanca (@txuriblan), and Adam (@adamfare1996) on Twitter! 

Picture Blurrfect on social media:
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Naomi chats with Dr. Janet Lydecker of Yale University about weight-based bullying: what it is, what it looks like, and how we can begin to address it as a scientific and clinical community. In addition to sharing some of weight bullying's key characteristics, Dr. Lydecker explains the association between weight stigma and bullying, and how parents/teachers/loved ones can facilitate a dialogue about this issue. There's plenty more research to conduct on this topic, and Dr. Lydecker is paving the way to uncover it.

Dr. Lydecker is the head of Yale's POWER lab: Program for Obesity, Weight, and Eating Research. Learn more about her lab, including ongoing studies, here.

Being bullied is not your fault and something no one deserves. Please know there is help. Contact someone today if you would like seek help.

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Dr. Xu of Baylor College of Medicine joins the podcast to share his latest work on how a particular brain circuit contributes to anorexia nervosa, the psychiatric disease characterized by fear of gaining weight and severe food restriction. Dr. Xu explains how dopamine and serotonin neurons in the brain regulate feeding behavior and often communicate with each other. Importantly, new research from his lab shows how the strength of that communication determined how much animals ate and exercised, thereby allowing researchers to elucidate the mechanisms underlying anorexia.

Paper Referenced in the Episode:
1. Cai et al., 2022: A D2 to D1 shift in dopaminergic inputs to midbrain 5-HT neurons causes anorexia in mice

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Naomi chats with Dr. Kyle Ganson from the University of Toronto about his research on eating disorders in men--why it is under researched and not talked about enough. Additionally, Dr. Ganson shares his research on muscle-enhancing / muscularity-oriented behaviors in the male population by sharing the risk factors and potential treatments. Like with all eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors, this issue is very complex and more research is needed.

Papers Mentioned in the Episode:
1) Ganson & Rodgers, 2022: Problematic muscularity-oriented behaviors: Overview, key gaps, and ideas for future research
2) Ganson et al., 2021: Last word: A call to develop specific medical treatment guidelines for adolescent males with eating disorders

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Naomi chats with Dr. Blair Burnette of the University of Minnesota about her research on intuitive eating  and how this framework could be incorporated into treatment/recovery plans for eating disorders and disordered eating. While most people drill this concept down to "eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full," Dr. Burnette explains the nuance and complexities associated with intuitive eating. Additionally, Dr. Burnette discusses the many barriers to access intuitive eating and how social media has influenced the way society talks about this issue as a whole.

Paper Referenced in the Episode:

1) Burnette et al., 2022: A systematic review of sociodemographic reporting and representation in eating disorder psychotherapy treatment trials in the United States

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Back-to-back graduate student spotlights! Naomi chats with the fabulous Katie Thompson, clinical psychology PhD student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill about body image concerns beyond the teenage years--midlife, postpartum, menopause, and more. Along these lines, Naomi and Katie also discuss how much our culture pressures us to not allow our bodies to change. There's a major disconnect between what the world tells us to look like and biological reality.

Papers Referenced in the Episode:

1. Thompson & Bardone-Cone, (2022): Self-Oriented Body Comparison and Self-Compassion: Interactive Models of Disordered Eating Behaviors Among Postpartum  Women

2. Thompson & Bardone-Cone, (2019): Disordered eating behaviors and attitudes and their correlates among a community sample of older women

3. Thompson & Bardone-Cone, (2019): Evaluating attitudes about aging and body comparison as moderators of the relationship between menopausal status and disordered eating and body image concerns among middle-aged women

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Graduate student spotlight! Naomi chats with soon-to-be Dr. Shruti Kinkel-Ram (@shrutikinkelram) of Miami University all about her research, including her Master's thesis on the connection between obsessive compulsive disorder and eating disorders as well as her current work on examining the relationship between interception and weight stigma. Naomi and Shruti also discuss life in graduate school more generally--the good, the bad... & the ugly (just kidding).

Papers Referenced in the Episode:
1) Kinkel-Ram et al., 2021: Relations between implicit attitudes towards eating disorder stimuli and disordered eating symptoms among at-risk college women (Link)
2) Kinkel-Ram et al., 2021: Testing intrusive thoughts as illness pathways between eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms: a network analysis (Link)

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