ANOREXIA isn’t just caused by social pressure—it’s genetic too.
Roger Adan of Utrecht University in the Netherlands and his colleagues have
found that 11 per cent of 145 anorexic patients had a mutation in the gene
coding for the “agouti-related” protein. Low levels of this protein stimulate
melanocortin receptors in the brain and suppress hunger. The same gene has been
linked to obesity. However, 4.5 per cent of people without anorexia also had the
mutation (Molecular Psychiatry, vol 6, p 325).
