Medical Health Encyclopedia

At least one study has reported that the most positive way for parents to influence their children's eating habits and to prevent weight problems and eating disorders is to have healthy eating habits themselves.

Problems Surrounding Birth

In some studies people with anorexia have reported a higher than average incidence of problems during the mother's pregnancy or after birth. These problems include:

• Infection
• Physical trauma
• Seizures
• Low birth weight
• Older maternal age

Some experts believe that such patients experienced an injury to the brain while in the womb that predisposed them to eating problems in infancy and to subsequent eating disorders later in life. Studies have suggested that people with anorexia often had stomach and intestinal problems in infancy.

Genetic Factors

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Anorexia is eight times more common in people who have relatives with the disorder, and some experts estimate that genetic factors are the root cause of many cases of eating disorders. For example, a 2000 study reported that twins had a tendency to share specific eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and obesity). Researchers have identified specific chromosomes that may be associated with bulimia and anorexia. In particular, regions on chromosome 10 have been linked to bulimia as well as obesity. Some evidence has also reported an association with genetic factors responsible for serotonin, the brain chemical involved with both well-being and appetite. Researchers have also pinpointed certain proteins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This protein may influence an individual’s susceptibility to developing an eating disorder.

In 2005, a team of researchers identified six core traits that they believe are linked to genes associated with bulimia and anorexia. These traits are:

• Minimum body mass index (BMI)
• Extreme concern over mistakes
• Age when a girl first starts to menstruate
• Food-related obsessions
• “Obsessionality” (a form of perfectionism)
• Anxiety