There are many complications associated with anorexia nervosa. Individuals with the eating disorder often limit calories so severely that malnutrition affects their bodies, resulting in cardiovascular disorders and bone density problems. Bone density is especially a concern among young girls with anorexia, as their bodies are still in a stage of development.
There have been multiple studies conducted on the possibility of using estrogen and other hormones to spur bone development in young girls recovering from anorexia. A new study published in the July edition of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism indicates that weekly administrations of risedronate may help those with anorexia increase bone mineral density in their spines.
The same study also tested the effects of low-dose testosterone on the patients. While testosterone was not proven to improve bone mineral density, the Boston research team reports that its use did positively affect lean body mass.
Led by Dr. Karen K. Miller from Massachusetts General Hospital, the researchers said that according to their results, exogenous estrogen is not effective in prevention of severe bone loss when it is given to individuals with anorexia nervosa.
The researchers recruited 77 ambulatory women who were diagnosed with anorexia. The participants had a mean age of 26 when they were enrolled in the randomized trial for a period of one year. The goal of the study was to determine whether an antiresorptive biphosphonate, in combination with and separate from testosterone, would be effective at increasing bone mineral density.
The trial involved four groups testing multiple dosages and variations of combinations of risedronate and testosterone, plus a group testing a placebo. The results showed that when it was compared with the placebo, the risedronate improved bone mineral density in the posteroanterior spine by 3.2 percent and in the lateral spine by 3.8 percent. In addition, bone mineral density in the hip improved 1.9 percent.
The team discovered that there was no measurable difference in bone mineral density for patients that were given risedronate in addition to testosterone when compared with those who had only risedronate. However, the results did show that testosterone improved lean body mass by 1.9 percent when compared with the placebo group.
The authors of the study say that the findings are significant because there has not been much success treating bone density problems with other types of strategies. However, at this point risedronate should not be routinely prescribed for those with a history of anorexia nervosa until further research is conducted to determine other possible effects of its use.