Increased Insulin Binding to Erythrocytes in Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

We studied [¹²⁵I] insulin binding to circulating cells in patients with anorexia nervosa (eight females), in the basal cachectic state (seven patients) and after weight gain (eight patients) and compared the values to those obtained in 17 normal volunteers (eight females and nine males). Untreated patients showed increased insulin binding to receptors on erythrocytes (mean ± S.E.M., 12.2±0.99 per cent of total); after weight gain, these increased levels returned to normal (6.8±0.42 vs. 6.7±0.63 per cent of total). Increased binding was due to an increased number of receptors per cell, with little or no change in receptor affinity.