Since the prevalence of eating disorders is higher in women than men, and the prevalence of substance use disorders is higher in men than women (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), it will be important to explore possible sex differences in genetic associations as the GWAS data become available. Notably, we previously did not find evidence for sex differences in the rg between binge eating and problem alcohol use (Munn-Chernoff et al., 2013). Finally, SNP coverage was limited in the earlier GWAS of the BN factor score because that study used older genotyping platforms and imputation panels that included fewer SNPs than current imputation panels. The Eating Disorders and Substance Use Disorders Working Groups of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) are continuously adding samples and releasing data freezes with incrementally larger sample sizes, while collecting information on multiple substances (e.g., opioids). Thus, in coming years, the statistical power is expected to increase for AN (including the with and without binge-eating subtypes), BN, and BED, as well as AUD, ND, and CUD, from within and outside the PGC. This will allow for a more refined assessment of specific eating disorder symptoms, including binge eating, in relation to substance use-related phenotypes.
