Can GLP-1s Treat Eating Disorders? One Woman’s Controversial Story Is Challenging Everything

In today’s episode of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, I’m joined by author and eating disorder research advocate Paige Gordon, who lived with bulimia for 22 years before starting a low-dose GLP-1 medication that she says eliminated her drive to binge and purge. We explore whether biology, appetite signalling, and reward circuitry could play a larger role in some people’s eating disorders, and whether GLP-1 medications could eventually have a therapeutic role beyond weight loss. This is a nuanced conversation about food noise, bingeing, purging, recovery, and what Paige’s experience could mean for future eating disorder research.

Here’s a run down of what we discussed in today’s episode:

What Does the Urge to Binge and Purge Actually Feel Like?

When Recovery Doesn’t Make the Food Noise Go Away

What Changed After Starting a GLP-1?

Can Different Causes Create the Same “Food Noise”?

Did the GLP-1 Treat the Eating Disorder—or Suppress the Symptoms?

What Does Recovery on a GLP-1 Actually Look Like?

Could GLP-1s Ever Be Studied as a Treatment for Bulimia?

Could Paige’s Story Be Misused by the Weight-Loss Industry?

Are We Overcorrecting Toward a Biological Explanation?

What Does the Research on GLP-1s and Eating Disorders Actually Show?