The fashion industry is often named as the primary cause of eating disorders among young women. The super-skinny models, many people claim, set an unobtainable standard that girls are so desperate to achieve that they'll starve themselves. While the environment does play a role, scientists have made some startling discoveries lately that point to genetics as the primary cause for anorexia nervosa.

"Many people diet, they say, and almost everyone is bombarded with pressures to be thin, but only a very few - less than half a percent of all women and a scant number of men - develop anorexia. Experts also point to a long history of anorexia over the centuries, before strikingly thin models became cultural superstars and skinny became the ideal of feminine beauty."

Scientists say that genetic predisposition can account for up to 70 percent of a person's risk for developing an eating disorder. One of the biggest indicators that environment is less of a factor and genetics more is that the prevalence of anorexia has remained steady over the past 30 years, despite increased societal pressures to be thin. Source: The Toronto Star

Labels: body_type, media_influences, role_models