London - Anorexia may be caused by bacteria that confuse the immune system, a study says.
Doctors consider the eating disorder a psychological problem related to social factors.
But experts at Lancaster University and Morecambe Bay NHS Trust suggest it may be linked to a physical infection.
They have no proof to back their theory, but think a bug may push the immune system to attack the brain and trigger emotional problems.
Dr Quenton Wessels, of Lancaster University, told The Sunday Telegraph that auto-antibodies acting on the brain could “induce extremes of emotion including disgust and fear”.
He added: “These become linked, in the minds of adolescent girls, to culturally determined ideas of what is, and what is not, the ideal body.
“It is a small step for disgust and fear to be directed to food and obesity, which the fashion industry demonises.”
Daily Mail