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New launchpad grants to address alarming rise of severe eating disorders
Eating disorders are devastating mental illnesses that affect over 1.2 million people in the UK. That’s why we’re funding eight new projects in this field.
We're funding eight new research projects, which aim to uncover why eating disorders develop in the first place, and what can be done to better prevent, diagnose, and treat them.
Eating disorders affect over 1.2 million people in the UK (Beat). The National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence estimates that hospital admissions in England for eating disorders increased by a staggering 84% between 2015 and 2021.
To address this worrying rise, there is an urgent need for more research to identify risk factors, common characteristics, and potential early interventions for these disorders.
That’s why we’re investing over £700,000 into eight new projects in this field. Eating disorders are devastating mental illnesses. We need to do more to ensure those affected can access the support they need.
Our Launchpad Grants in Eating Disorders Research will help the researchers to build their networks, acting as a launchpad to securing larger funding in the future.
This research is only possible thanks to the generosity of our donors, including a gift in Will from Catherine Mary Evans, and grant awards from the Bird Song Trust and Rosetrees.
Read about our recently awarded projects below:
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder; however, it remains under-researched.Dr Ilaria Costantini
University College London
Appetite-regulating drugs and binge-eating disorder
Binge-eating disorder is the most common eating disorder, yet few effective treatments exist for this condition and no approved medications are available in the UK.
Recently, drugs that target appetite-regulating hormones, such as ‘GLP1R agonist’ medications, have gained attention for their potential to manage binge eating. Dr Ilaria Costantini from University College London and her team have carried out a preliminary review of clinical trials for these drugs.
Now, they will use genetic methods to assess the potential effectiveness, mechanisms, and safety of medications like GLP1R. To do this, the team will use genetic data obtained from over one million individuals. Dr Costantini will also investigate their possible side effects. By working closely with people with lived experience, her group will ensure their findings are meaningful and free from stigma.
This award was supported by Rosetrees.
Through my research and work as a clinical psychologist, I recognised how little we understand about the overlap between ADHD and EDs.Dr Emma Kinnaird
University of Oxford
ADHD in women with bulimia nervosa
Dr Emma Kinnaird from the University of Oxford will explore the link between ADHD and eating disorders, and how the overlap can affect treatment approaches. She will work with co-investigator Professor Kate Tchanturia from King’s College London to recruit women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa (BN) and use gold-standard diagnostic tools to assess whether they meet ADHD criteria. Dr Kinnaird will examine the clinical differences between those with BN alone, and those with co-occurring BN/ADHD.
Through this study, she aims to support neurodivergent people accessing ED services in the future.
This award was supported by Rosetrees.
The struggle to access enough food is emerging as an important factor in rising rates of eating disorder cases.Dr Fidan Turk
University of Exeter
Food insecurity and eating disorders in the UK
In 2022/23, 7.2 million people in the UK (about one in ten) experienced food insecurity. Research suggests that people facing food insecurity are more likely to experience eating disorder symptoms, such as binge eating, skipping meals, and extreme concerns about weight and body shape. However, most studies on this issue come from the USA, highlighting the need for UK-based research to better understand the problem in this context.
Dr Fidan Turk from the University of Exeter and her team will analyse UK datasets to examine the link between food insecurity and eating disorder symptoms among young people and adults. The team aims to improve healthcare support and inform policy changes to help those affected by both food insecurity and eating disorders.
Loneliness is a distressing feeling arising from a gap between desired and actual social relationships. We will investigate how loneliness and eating disorder behaviours influence each other over time.Dr Başak İnce Çağlar
King's College London
Loneliness and eating disorder recovery
Eating disorders typically develop during adolescence or emerging adulthood - a life phase where people are especially vulnerable to loneliness.
In people with mental health problems, loneliness is linked to poorer clinical outcomes and recovery rates. Limited research suggests that loneliness may both trigger and worsen eating disorder behaviours. Conversely, eating disorders can also increase loneliness, as they make people more isolated from others, creating a vicious cycle. Despite its relevance, loneliness in eating disorders remains under-researched.
This project, led by Dr Başak İnce Çağlar from King's College London, will explore how loneliness and eating disorder behaviours influence each other over time, considering factors such as illness duration, diagnosis, and individual circumstances. This work will inform the development of personalised assessment and treatment approaches, improving outcomes for young people with eating disorders.
We hope that findings from this project will help to develop person-centred eating disorder prevention and treatment.Dr Marie-Christine Opitz
University of Edinburgh
Polycystic ovary syndrome and eating disorders
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic hormonal condition that affects about one in ten women of childbearing age. Women with PCOS are roughly three times more likely to have an eating disorder compared to women without PCOS.
Dr Marie-Christine Opitz from the University of Edinburgh will explore the lived experiences of women with both PCOS and eating disorders, to examine how PCOS symptoms and management may affect the risk of developing an eating disorder.
Her group will study influential PCOS podcasts to obtain lived experience stories, using a technique called ‘podcast ethnography’ to examine how these experiences might be relevant to eating disorder development, continuation, and recovery. Findings from this project will help to develop person-centred eating disorder prevention and treatment.
While evidence-based interventions can prevent the development of EDs and reduce risks, their widespread implementation is often hindered by barriers such as financial constraints and limited human resources. AI can offer cost-effective solutions.Dr Nadia Craddock
University of the West of England
Harnessing AI to prevent eating disorders
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has potential for scaling and optimising efforts to prevent eating disorders.
Dr Nadia Craddock from the University of the West of England will investigate whether AI can offer cost-effective, user-centred prevention interventions, that can reach larger populations – particularly underserved groups.
The project will carry out a review of existing AI applications for mental health prevention, to identify lessons that can be applied to eating disorder prevention specifically. Learnings will be compiled into written reports and online webinars for researchers and industry stakeholders in the field.
Our goal is to provide a flexible and user-friendly resource that better suits the needs and preferences of adolescents and schools. This will improve access and engagement with valuable strategies that help reduce the risk of eating disorders in young people.Dr Melissa Atkinson
University of Bath
Eating disorder prevention for secondary school students
Eating disorders are affecting young people at a concerning rate.
To address this, Dr Melissa Atkinson from the University of Bath is developing early intervention strategies to support people exhibiting known ED risk factors – like body image concerns and difficulty managing emotions.
At present, school-based interventions are mostly one-size-fits-all approaches that rely on trained facilitators, offering little flexibility or choice for adolescents and teachers using them.
Dr Atkinson will develop a new digital toolkit of ‘micro-interventions’, containing various focused, self-guided tools and activities. These will be developed with the input of teachers, researchers, and students themselves – to ensure they are relevant, suitable and engaging.
The project aims to provide a user-friendly, flexible resource for schools that can help reduce eating disorder risk among young people.
This award was supported by the Bird Song Trust.
Very few research studies have focused on eating disorders among learning-disabled people. As a result, little is known about how learning-disabled people understand and experience this condition.Dr Karin Eli
University of Warwick
Eating disorders among people with learning disabilities
Although eating disorders are prevalent among people with learning disabilities (neurological disabilities that affect information processing), very few research studies have focused on this population. As a result, this patient subgroup has been left without effective prevention and treatment options.
Dr Karin Eli and her team at the University of Warwick will explore how people with learning disabilities view, understand and experience eating disorders.
They will work with learning-disabled stakeholders to co-produce a new arts-based research method, focused on exploring issues related to food and eating. Purple Patch Arts, a Leeds-based charity, will partner with the research team to facilitate this process.
Dr Eli plans to translate her findings into policy impact, partnering with eating disorder charity Beat to develop guidelines that improve eating disorder prevention and treatment for learning-disabled individuals.
