For over 40 years, researchers at the University of North Carolina led by Dr. Bulik have worked to uncover the genetics of eating disorders. Their research has transformed our understanding of these conditions.
The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative 2 is their latest and most ambitious project yet.
Studying genetic and environmental factors related to anorexia nervosa, atypical anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and ARFID.
Led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale University with collaborators in six countries.
Enrolling 6,000+ adults across the US who have ever had an eating disorder at any point in their life.
UNC Chapel Hill
Yale University
UNC Chapel Hill
Adults in the US (including Puerto Rico) can participate from home by following this link to our secure REDCap survey. Here, you will go through the consent, which gives you more details about the study and your participation. Then, you will complete our screening questionnaire. If the study is a good fit for you, we will ask for your mailing address so we can mail you a spit kit to collect your saliva sample. We will also email you a link to more surveys.
Eligible participants who return their saliva sample and complete the Core Questionnaire will receive a $30 gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Home Depot.
We are inviting any adult in the US who has ever had symptoms of an eating disorder to take our screening survey.
We are also inviting people with no history of any disordered eating to participate as controls.
To find out if you are eligible for the study, take our screening survey. Please note that when we look at genes to understand eating disorders, we have to start by focusing on very specific groups of people. This means that not everyone with a history of an eating disorder can be invited to participate.
After you mail back your spit kit, it will arrive in our lab, where Jerry’s team will use it to extract your DNA. We will then study your genetic information together with genetic data from thousands of other people to help us find genetic factors that might increase the chance of developing an eating disorder.
Part of your saliva sample will also be sent to and stored at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) biobank, where other researchers can apply to use your genetic information for their own research. Your identifying information (name, contact information, etc.) will not be sent to the NIMH or shared with anyone outside our study team.
If you have any concerns about your saliva sample or the sharing of your data, please reach out to us at edgi2@unc.edu.
Your questionnaire data will be used with your DNA to help us find the genetic factors linked to different eating disorders and symptoms. This isn’t just a genetic study, though! Questionnaire data from you and thousands of others will teach us so much about eating disorders, including how they connect to other aspects of your health, how they are experienced, and what environmental factors might influence them.
Your questionnaire data will be sent to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Data Archive (NDA) where other researchers can apply to use it for their own research. Your identifying information (name, contact information, etc.) will not be sent to the NIMH/NDA or shared with anyone outside our study team.
If you have any concerns about your questionnaire data or the sharing of your data, please reach out to us at edgi2@unc.edu.
