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Disease

Feeding and Eating Disorders

Late-stage therapeutic developmentEmerging researchRising momentum
11
Publications
22
Clinical trials
3
Related conditions
2024
Latest publication
Latest activity
beta

Recent clinical, regulatory, research and industry developments relating to this disease.

Not niche: eating disorders as an example in the dangers of overspecialisation.

Research2024-03-01The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science

Analysis of feeding and eating disorders in 191 children according to psychiatric or gastroenterological recruitment: The PEDIAFED cohort study.

Research2024-02-02European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association

Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders in Pediatric Obesity: Assessment and Next Steps.

Research2023-08-24International journal of environmental research and public health

Current Discoveries and Future Implications of Eating Disorders.

Research2023-07-08International journal of environmental research and public health

Psychedelics in the treatment of eating disorders: Rationale and potential mechanisms.

Research2023-06-21European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology

What's happening now

An analyst briefing on current research, clinical, regulatory and industry activity surrounding this disease.

Major developments
Major trial resultsHigh impact
Results posted2026-07-02

Clinical trials

18 sponsors · 2 new · 3 completed in the last 12 months (net +2)

The current development programme across all trial phases.

Clinical programme
22
All trials
6
Active
16
Late-stage
6
Completed
Late-stage studies
Recruiting
Recently completed

Research activity

11 papers

Key research shaping understanding of this disease, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.

Publications over time
20112024
Most influential

Psychedelics in the treatment of eating disorders: Rationale and potential mechanisms.

European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023 · 30 cites

Current Discoveries and Future Implications of Eating Disorders.

International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023 · 29 cites
Recent publications

Not niche: eating disorders as an example in the dangers of overspecialisation.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science · 2024 · 28 cites

Analysis of feeding and eating disorders in 191 children according to psychiatric or gastroenterological recruitment: The PEDIAFED cohort study.

European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2024 · 4 cites

Psychedelics in the treatment of eating disorders: Rationale and potential mechanisms.

European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2023 · 30 cites

Current Discoveries and Future Implications of Eating Disorders.

International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023 · 29 cites
Major themes8
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders8
  • Anorexia Nervosa3
  • Bulimia Nervosa3
  • Binge-Eating Disorder2
  • Bulimia1
  • Cost of Illness1
  • Gastroenterology1
  • Hallucinogens1
Leading journals6
  • International journal of environmental research and public health2
  • Archives of general psychiatry1
  • Body image1
  • Current opinion in psychiatry1
  • Current psychiatry reports1
  • eLife1
Leading researchers8
  • Hoek HW2
  • van Hoeken D2
  • Adamic EM1
  • Arcelus J1
  • Avery J1
  • Bargiacchi A1
  • Bellaïche M1
  • Bertrand V1
Affiliations (unnormalised)6
  • Centenary College of Louisiana1
  • Center of Healthy Weight and Nutrition1
  • Columbia University1
  • Laboratory for Autonomic Neuroscience1
  • Laboratory of Brain and Cognition1
  • Laureate Institute for Brain Research1

Related conditions

3 matches

Diseases frequently studied alongside this one. Number shows shared papers.

Disease profile

A grounded synthesis of the condition — overview, causes, mechanism, risk factors and current standard of care.

Overview

Feeding and eating disorders are a group of conditions marked by physiological and/or psychological disturbances in appetite or food intake. The literature commonly discusses anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and related eating disorders as severe illnesses that can affect physical, psychological, and social functioning.

Pathophysiology

These disorders are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behavior, often accompanied by distressing thoughts and emotions. The literature also highlights preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape as an important feature in the regulation and maintenance of eating-disorder symptoms.

Risk factors

They are often discussed as developing during adolescence or early adulthood, and they are more commonly diagnosed in young adult females. Weight stigma is associated with disordered eating cognitions and behaviors, including binge eating, body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, unhealthy weight control behaviors, and drive for thinness.

Current standard of care

Treatment typically involves a combination of therapy, nutrition counseling, and medical care. The literature also includes drug therapy and emerging psychedelic-assisted approaches, with preliminary data discussed for ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and ayahuasca in some eating disorders.

AI-generated summary grounded in MeSH and 6 peer-reviewed sources. Informational only — not medical advice. Generated 2026-07-07.

Reference

Authoritative identity, definition & identifiers.

Defined in MeSH

A group of disorders characterized by physiological and/or psychological disturbances in appetite or food intake.

References & data sources
  • Disease identity & definition — NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), public domain
  • Clinical trials — ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
  • Research activity — Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI) + OpenAlex-derived paper links
  • Related entities are derived from literature co-mention (studied together) — associative, not causal.