Among adolescents, body image can be a very fragile thing. A new report finds eating disorders not only impact those trying to lose weight, but can also affect children who are already skinny. Researchers say girls with a low body mass index (BMI) early on in childhood may be at a high risk of developing anorexia nervosa later on. Conversely, young girls with a high BMI are more at risk for bulimia nervosa.

在青少年中，身体形象是一个非常脆弱的东西。一份新的报告发现，饮食失调不仅影响那些试图减肥的人，还可能影响到已经很瘦的孩子。研究人员说，小时候体重指数(BMI)很低的女孩可能在以后患神经性厌食症的风险很高。相反，体重指数高的年轻女孩患神经性贪食症的风险更大。

“By examining the records of thousands of girls over their lifetime in national health registers, we have discovered early warning profiles that could signal girls at risk for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa”, says lead author Dr. Britt Wang Jensen from Denmark’s Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital in a media release. “The difference in childhood BMI of girls who later developed eating disorders started to emerge at an early age. These results highlight the importance of regularly monitoring weight and height during childhood to identify these patterns as early as possible.”

“通过检查国家健康登记册上数千名女孩一生的记录，我们发现了一些早期预警特征，可能预示女孩有神经性厌食症和神经性贪食症风险。”来自丹麦Bispebjerg和Frederiksberg医院的Britt Wang Jensen博士在媒体发布中表示，后来患上饮食失调的女孩，在儿童BMI方面的差异在很小的时候就开始显现出来。这些结果凸显了在儿童时期定期监测体重和身高以尽早发现这些模式的重要性。”

Rates of anorexia and bulimia among adolescents, especially girls, continue to rise on a year-over-year and decade-over-decade basis. However, the exact connection between BMI years before and the onset of these conditions remains unclear. Prior research has ultimately produced conflicting results.

青少年(尤其是女孩)的厌食症和贪食症的发生率逐年增加，十年来持续上升。然而，多年前的体重指数和这些疾病的发病之间的确切联系仍然不清楚。先前的研究最终产生了相互矛盾的结果。

So, to find some answers Danish researchers analyzed data pertaining to 66,576 girls from the Copenhagen School Health Records Register (born between 1960 and 1996). Those records included information on height and weight measured during annual school health examinations between ages seven to 13. Meanwhile, researchers tracked specific bulimia and anorexia diagnoses using the Danish National Patient Register and the Danish Psychiatric Central Research Register.

因此，为了找到一些答案，丹麦研究人员分析了来自哥本哈根学校健康记录登记册中66576名女孩的数据，这些女孩出生于1960年至1996年。这些资料记录了7岁至13岁的身高和体重信息，每年由学校健康检查中测量。同时，研究人员还使用了丹麦国家患者登记册和丹麦精神病学中心研究登记册，以追踪特定的贪食症和厌食症诊断。

When do these eating disorders begin to surface?

这些饮食失调什么时候开始出现?

Over that entire time period, 514 women were diagnosed with anorexia. Researchers say the average age at the time of these diagnoses was 20 years-old. Another 315 women received a bulimia diagnosis, typically around the age of 23.

在此期间，514名女性被诊断出厌食症。研究人员说，诊断时的平均年龄是20岁。另有315名妇女被诊断为贪食症，年龄通常在23岁左右。

Interestingly, a closer analysis showed “inverse associations” between childhood BMI and anorexia later on. For instance, take two girls with a BMI difference of about five pounds. The somewhat heavier girl had a 50 percent higher risk of developing bulimia than the leaner child in later life. At age 13, the risk was 33 percent higher.

有趣的是，一项更深入的分析显示，儿童时期的体重指数与后来的厌食症之间存在“负相关”。例如，以两个体重指数相差约5磅的女孩为例，体重稍重的女孩在晚年患上贪食症的风险比瘦的高出50%，而在13岁时，患病风险高33%。

Additionally, in comparison to girls with a normal weight at seven years-old, overweight participants had twice the risk of developing bulimia nervosa years later.

此外，与7岁时体重正常的女孩相比，超重者在几年后患神经性贪食症的风险是正常女孩的两倍。

Study authors stress that more research is needed before any conclusive statements can be made regarding bulimia, anorexia, and BMI.

研究作者强调，在做出关于贪食症、厌食症和体重指数的结论性陈述之前，还需要更多的研究。