By . Daily Mail Reporter . Concern: A natural 'cuddle hormone' could held alleviate the symptoms of anorexia (file photo) A hormone released when kissing could help beat anorexia. Oxytocin reduces sufferers’ unhealthy obsessions with food and weight and makes them less fixated on damaging emotions, researchers found. A spray of the chemical could be used as a treatment in two or three years if larger trials succeed. It is hoped it would help patients understand the need to eat more, raising odds of recovery. There are no drugs to treat the life-threatening disorder, whose sufferers try to be as thin as possible by drastically limiting food and undertaking extreme exercise. In severe cases, counselling is often of little benefit because the brain is so undernourished. British and South Korean scientists tested oxytocin, which is also released during sex, childbirth and  breastfeeding. Anorexics who took the chemical focused less on photos of food and paid less attention than before to images of flabby thighs or stomachs. Dubbed the 'love hormone' or the 'cuddle chemical', oxytocin also changed anorexic patients’ responses to images of angry and disgusted faces, according to one piece of research. The research was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology after subjects were given oxytocin using a nasal spray. The same 31 participants in a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, testing their reactions to facial expressions such as anger, disgust and happiness, were less likely to linger on 'disgust' faces. Prof Youl-Ri Kim, from Inje University in Seoul, South Korea and lead author on both studies, said: 'Our research shows that oxytocin reduces patients' unconscious tendencies to focus on food, body shape, and negative emotions such as disgust. 'There is currently a lack of effective pharmacological treatments for anorexia. Our research adds important evidence to the increasing literature on oxytocin treatments for mental illnesses, and hints at the advent of a novel, ground-breaking treatment option for patients with anorexia.' Treatment: The hormone was given to 31 patients through a nasal spray (file photo posed by model) Professor Janet Treasure, of King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry and senior author for both studies said: 'Patients with anorexia have a range of social difficulties which often start in their early teenage years, before the onset of the illness. 'These social problems, which can result in isolation, may be important in understanding both the onset and maintenance of anorexia. 'By using oxytocin as a potential treatment for anorexia, we are focusing on some of these underlying problems we see in patients.' She added: 'This is early stage research with a small number of participants, but it’s hugely exciting to see the potential this treatment could have. 'We need much larger trials, on more diverse populations, before we can start to make a difference to how patients are treated.' Anorexia is one of the leading causes of mental-health related deaths both through physical complications and suicide. As well as problems with food, eating and body shape, patients with anorexia often have social difficulties including anxiety and hypersensitivity to negative emotions.
British and Korean scientists gave an oxytocin nasal spray to 31 patients .
The hormone is released during kissing, sex, childbirth and breastfeeding .
Scientists said theory was at an early stage but was 'hugely exciting'
By . Daily Mail Reporter . Concern: A natural 'cuddle hormone' could held alleviate the symptoms of anorexia (file photo) A hormone released when kissing could help beat anorexia. Oxytocin reduces sufferers’ unhealthy obsessions with food and weight and makes them less fixated on damaging emotions, researchers found. A spray of the chemical could be used as a treatment in two or three years if larger trials succeed. It is hoped it would help patients understand the need to eat more, raising odds of recovery. There are no drugs to treat the life-threatening disorder, whose sufferers try to be as thin as possible by drastically limiting food and undertaking extreme exercise. In severe cases, counselling is often of little benefit because the brain is so undernourished. British and South Korean scientists tested oxytocin, which is also released during sex, childbirth and breastfeeding. Anorexics who took the chemical focused less on photos of food and paid less attention than before to images of flabby thighs or stomachs. Dubbed the 'love hormone' or the 'cuddle chemical', oxytocin also changed anorexic patients’ responses to images of angry and disgusted faces, according to one piece of research. The research was published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology after subjects were given oxytocin using a nasal spray. The same 31 participants in a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, testing their reactions to facial expressions such as anger, disgust and happiness, were less likely to linger on 'disgust' faces. Prof Youl-Ri Kim, from Inje University in Seoul, South Korea and lead author on both studies, said: 'Our research shows that oxytocin reduces patients' unconscious tendencies to focus on food, body shape, and negative emotions such as disgust. 'There is currently a lack of effective pharmacological treatments for anorexia. Our research adds important evidence to the increasing literature on oxytocin treatments for mental illnesses, and hints at the advent of a novel, ground-breaking treatment option for patients with anorexia.' Treatment: The hormone was given to 31 patients through a nasal spray (file photo posed by model) Professor Janet Treasure, of King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry and senior author for both studies said: 'Patients with anorexia have a range of social difficulties which often start in their early teenage years, before the onset of the illness. 'These social problems, which can result in isolation, may be important in understanding both the onset and maintenance of anorexia. 'By using oxytocin as a potential treatment for anorexia, we are focusing on some of these underlying problems we see in patients.' She added: 'This is early stage research with a small number of participants, but it’s hugely exciting to see the potential this treatment could have. 'We need much larger trials, on more diverse populations, before we can start to make a difference to how patients are treated.' Anorexia is one of the leading causes of mental-health related deaths both through physical complications and suicide. As well as problems with food, eating and body shape, patients with anorexia often have social difficulties including anxiety and hypersensitivity to negative emotions.
Korean scientists tested oxytocin, which is also released during sex, childbirth and patients with anorexia.' Treatment: The hormone was given to 31 patients through a nasal spray number of participants, but it’s hugely exciting