There could be genetic reasons why some women succumb to pressure to be thin, while others maintain a positive body image, according to US researchers.
“We’re all bombarded daily with messages extoling the virtues of being thin, yet intriguingly only some women develop what we term thin ideal internalisation,” study author Jessica Suisman from Michigan State University said in a press release.
“This suggests that genetic factors may make some women more susceptible to this pressure than others.”
Suisman and her colleagues studied more than 300 female twins aged 12 to 22 to see whether genetic factors influenced how vulnerable women are to societal thin ideals.
They measured how much the participants wanted to look like people from TV, movies and magazines, then compared identical twins, who share exactly the same genes, with fraternal twins, who share 50 percent of their genes.
The researchers found identical twins had closer levels of thin idealisation, which suggested genetics plays a part in determining body image.
“We were surprised to find that shared environmental factors, such as exposure to the same media, did not have as big an impact as expected,” Suisman said.
“Instead, non-shared factors that make co-twins different from each other had the greatest impact. The broad cultural risk factors that we thought were most influential in the development of thin-ideal internalisation are not as important as genetic risk and environmental risk factors that are specific and unique to each twin."
Megan O'Connor, from Eating Disorders Victoria, told ninemsn that experts are becoming increasingly aware of the potential genetic link.
"There are often examples of a mother and two of her daughters having eating disorders –– anecdotally we are hearing of family traits," she said.
O'Connor said families need to be aware of the possible genetic link and put responsible measures in place.
"People can certainly modify the sorts of language they use in their family about weight, dieting and body shape," she said.
"There is evidence to suggest that eating family meals together and having a healthy and relaxed relationship with food helps protect against eating disorders."
The study was published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.