Is anorexia genetic?

The research seems to point to the fact that there is a strong genetic link and disposition related to people in the same family developing the eating disorder. In the mid-1990s, a European study derived from data found that women belonging to the same family developed the disorder at some point in their lives. The study mentions a genetic cause for the disease as well.

Other theories point to cultural factors, such as an emphasis on thinness. Many point to media’s focus and admiration of extremely thin women. Some discussions point to the gene existing but the disease being triggered by external factors including media and other cultural factors. In some cases, women are more predisposed to anorexia because of the emphasis on dieting as opposed to nutrition. One thing researchers did say was that the condition anorexia was linked to genetic factors in the same way schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are.