There may also be other quantitative traits that may moderate gene/binge eating relationships. For instance, some women with BN are high on harm avoidance and obsessive-compulsive traits (Wonderlich et al., 2005), and these traits have been associated with 5-HT candidate genes in individuals with BN (e.g., 5-HTT, 5-HT2C; Monteleone et al., 2006, Ribases et al., 2008). Finally, other environmental risk factors for binge eating and BN may be important to examine for their interactions with candidate genes. These include (but are not limited to) environmental risk factors such as weight-based teasing (Neumark-Sztainer et al., 2002), parental criticism (Fairburn et al., 1999), and participation in weight-focused sports (e.g., ballet dancing; Sundgot-Borgen & Torstveit, 2004). These environmental risk factors may activate/enhance genetic predisposition towards binge eating.
