The ‘love hormone’ may be able to help people with an eating disorder
The love hormone oxytocin, which is released during kissing, sex and breastfeeding, may reduce sufferers’ obsession with losing weight.
The hormone was given to 31 patients through a nasal spray and it was found that people suffering from anorexia who took the hormone, changed their attitude towards food and body parts.
Lead author on the study Prof Youl-Ri Kim said: “Our research shows that oxytocin reduces patients’ unconscious tendencies to focus on food, body shape, and negative emotions such as disgust.”
At the moment, there are no drugs to treat the disorder and in extreme cases, counselling has little effect on a person with anorexia because their brain is too undernourished.
“By using oxytocin as a potential treatment for anorexia, we are focusing on some of these underlying problems we see in patients,” added Kim.
Although researchers are still in early stage of the study, we still think it’s a perfect excuse to get snogging!