The researchers say they found a region on the first chromosome that may contain genes that make a person susceptible to developing the eating disorder.
Although doctors have suspected that anorexia runs in families, this is the first time a specific region in the genetic code has been linked to the disorder.
The scientists from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Switzerland took DNA samples from people from 192 families where more than one relative had anorexia.
The study, appearing in the March issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, compared their DNA with genetic material from the general public.
They found that a location on chromosome 1 had a statistically strong link to the disorder.
The researchers said their work adds to the evidence that vulnerability to anorexia has a genetic component, as well as a social and psychological component.
"It may be that a number of genes contributed to (anorexia) and, through additional research, we hope to eventually be able to identify them," lead author Walter Kaye of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said in a statement.
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