How do genetic factors affect anorexia?

Answer 1

It is thought that there might be a genetic link towards eating disorders. The idea is that some people might be genetically predisposed to a certain trait or characteristic that leads them to develop an eating disorder suhc as anorexia. Certain traits such as anxiety, OCD, or prefectionism have both "nurture" (social influence) and "nature" (genetics) qualities. Since these are common factors found in nearly all anorexics, there is research being done to determine if anorexia may have a hereditary counterpart.

As of now, it is thought that eating disorders may continually develop or show up in families due to social influences. If a mother or older sibling has disordered eating habits, a young child may pick up on them, copy them, and ultimately be more likely to worsen these habits and develop an eating disorder later on in life.