In this post, we will evaluate whether there is a relationship between genetic factors and eating disorders. As we were discussing eating disorders in detail, you may have noticed that genetics was a key risk factor for each eating disorder. It is common to find out that a family member of someone with an eating disorder could have suffered from the same eating disorder. Eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa can often be identified in families. For example, usually, you will identify that if someone is anorexic, there is high possibility that someone else in his or her family was also anorexic. This depicts that whilst eating disorders are mainly triggered by psychological factors, they also have a genetic component affixed to them.
Indeed, there is scarce research on the association between eating disorders and genetic factors currently, although it is certain that genetics increases the risk of one developing an eating disorder. Possibly, it could be that certain biological components or personality disorders are inherited from family members, and with the transfer of these genes, there is enhanced risk of developing eating disorders.
While there is not significant research on eating disorders and genetic factors, there is an indication that genetics does contribute a part in their development. There is an increased risk of one developing an eating disorder if a family member had it.