What can animals teach us about eating disorders?
B. Natterson-Horowitz, MD
How we eat and the impact it has on our bodies, from weight loss and weight gain to eating disorders, is complex and a key facet of human health. But most of these behaviours and conditions aren't unique to our species. What can the animal world teach us?
Learn about this Garden Talk
As humans, how we eat and the impact this has on our bodies, from weight loss and weight gain to eating disorders, is complex and plays a huge part in our overall health. But most of these behaviours and conditions aren't unique to humankind, and we can see many of the same patterns, including disordered eating, in all kinds of other species too. What can we learn about our own health around our diet by looking to the animal kingdom?
B. Natterson-Horowitz's fascinating work at Harvard University and UCLA uses insight from the natural world to find new ways of approaching human health and development.
Studying a diverse range of animals in natural settings, B has uncovered adaptations with relevance to heart failure, sudden cardiac death, seizures, dementia, movement disorders, infertility and psychiatric conditions including anxiety, compulsive and eating disorders.
B joins us in The Garden to uncover the many ways in which human eating and its impact on our health can be illuminated by observing our animal cousins.
Talk outline
50 minutes
30 minute talk
20 minute Member Q&A
In her work at Harvard University, B studies a diverse range of animals to better understand human health challenges, including heart failure, seizures, dementia, infertility, anxiety and eating disorders.
Lessons from the Animal Kingdom Collection
Humans aren’t the only species to suffer from mental health problems, heart disease, infertility or cancer. B. Natterson-Horowitz, MD, takes us on a journey into the animal world in search of clues to help us understand our own health and behaviour.How we eat and the impact it has on our bodies, from weight loss and weight gain to eating disorders, is complex and a key facet of human health. But most of these behaviours and conditions aren't unique to our species. What can the animal world teach us?
The world of dating, sex and childbirth is a hazardous one, full of complex behaviours and even threats to our health. Well, mating in the animal kingdom is just as complex. What can we learn about "the birds and the bees" by looking at our animal cousins?
It can take decades for the human body to display symptoms of exposure to health hazards in our environment, but in the animal world, strange health trends can become apparent much more quickly. Could this alarm bell help us react faster to toxic threats?
Some of mankind's most enduring questions are about who we are as individuals, how we can live successfully alongside others, and the tension between the two. What can we learn about identity and group dynamics from our furry, feathered and scaly friends?
