The new study followed young people for about a decade, tracking their brain development, eating habits, and genetics.
Genetics, differences in brain development, and mental health in the teenage years could help explain why some young people develop eating disorders, a new study suggests.
An estimated 20 million people in Europe suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder, with young women and teenagers disproportionately affected.
For the new study, which was published in the journal Nature Mental Health, nearly 1,000 young people from England, Ireland, France, and Germany provided genetic data, completed surveys on their eating habits and wellbeing, and got magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at ages 14 and 23.