Genetic link to anorexia

Genetic defects affecting metabolism appear to underpin the slimming disease anorexia nervosa, new research has shown.

Scientists who scoured the DNA of more than 14,000 individuals homed in on a hotspot containing genetic variations associated with anorexia.

The discovery lends support to the theory that the eating disorder is not simply a psychological illness, and is at least partly driven by a person’s genes.