The genetic risk of developing an eating disorder could be identified from birth thanks to a major study led by Queensland researchers.
Triple Olympian Lisa Curry is leading the appeal for volunteers to take part, five years on from the loss of her daughter Jaimi.
“It feels like your heart’s been ripped out,” Curry said.
“She just sort of took a breath and then her hands went cold, that was it,” Curry said.
Jaimi Kenny died at the age of 33 after battling eating disorders for 18 years.
The struggle was made more difficult by a lack of answers.
“She’d say, ‘Where did it come from? Why am I like this?'” Curry said.
Curry wants to help find those answers, leading the call for more than 4000 Australian volunteers or up to 100,000 worldwide to take part in a landmark genetic study.
“I have to be able to use [my voice] for the good,” she said.
Clinical nutritionist Lexi Crouch is among those signing up after her own 15-year battle with anorexia which led to more than 25 hospitalisations.
“I felt very strange and I didn’t feel seen at all,” Crouch said.
Saliva samples will be brought to a DNA facility at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) Berghofer, where the samples are put into machines to identify genetic markers.
Hundreds of genes are expected to be pinpointed, up from the eight currently known.
QIMR Berghofer researcher Professor Nick Martin said there is a large genetic component to eating disorders.
“It’s not your fault, it’s just the luck of the draw,” Martin said.
“By finding all these genes we can actually develop what’s called a polygenic risk score , so we can actually tell people from the time of birth or even before.”
It is also hoped the study will improve treatment options.
Visit the study’s website to check your eligibility or find out more information.
Participants from all cultural backgrounds are needed and the samples can be sent in by post.
