If you have ever wondered, Why did this happen to me? Was it the diet I tried? Was it social media? Was it my mother? — please hear this gently, sister: eating disorders are caused by a complex combination of factors, and the science is very clear that no single cause is to blame. They are not chosen. They are not the result of one thing.
Researchers describe eating disorders as biopsychosocial — meaning biology, psychology, and social environment all play a part. Let us walk through each piece.
1. Biological Factors
Genetics play a significant role. Twin studies estimate the heritability of eating disorders at 40–60%, meaning a meaningful portion of vulnerability runs in families. If a parent or sibling has had an eating disorder, the chance of another close family member developing one is higher than in the general population.
There is no single "eating disorder gene." Like most mental health conditions, hundreds of genetic variants — each with small effects — combine to shape vulnerability.
Brain research has also found differences in how the brains of people with eating disorders process reward, anxiety, and body perception. These are not "broken" brains — they are brains wired in ways that, combined with life experiences, make eating disorders more likely to take hold.
2. Psychological Factors
Certain personality traits and emotional patterns are more common in people who develop eating disorders, though they do not cause them on their own:
Perfectionism
High sensitivity to criticism
Difficulty managing intense emotions
Low self-esteem
A tendency to internalise blame
Co-occurring anxiety, depression, OCD, or trauma history
3. Social and Cultural Factors
While culture alone does not cause eating disorders, it shapes how they appear:
Cultural pressure on women's bodies — the constant message that women's worth is tied to their appearance is real and damaging
Diet culture — the normalisation of restriction, "clean eating," and weight loss as virtuous
Social media — research shows links between heavy use of appearance-focused social media and disordered eating, particularly in young women
Sport or work environments that emphasise certain body types
Family environments where weight, food, or appearance were heavily commented on (often without bad intent)
4. Life Events and Trauma
Many sisters with eating disorders can trace the start of their struggle to specific events:
Bullying about weight or appearance
A major life transition (puberty, moving, breakup, loss)
Trauma — sexual abuse is identified as a risk factor in research
A diet or weight-loss attempt that escalated
A significant loss or grief
Pressure during a particular season of life
These are not "the cause" — they are often the trigger that activates underlying vulnerability.
What Does NOT Cause Eating Disorders
You did not cause this. Especially if your eating disorder began in childhood or adolescence, please understand: you did not bring this on yourself.
Your parents did not cause this. Old theories that blamed mothers have been thoroughly disproven. Family dynamics may sometimes be a part of the picture, but they are not the simple cause.
A single bad event did not cause this. Even when there is a clear trigger, the eating disorder itself emerges from a much wider mix of factors.
Weak faith did not cause this. Eating disorders affect women of every level of religious devotion. They are illnesses, not spiritual failures.
What This Means for You
Knowing what contributes to eating disorders is not about finding someone to blame. It is about understanding that what you are struggling with is real, complex, and shaped by many forces working together. None of this is your fault. And none of it changes the fact that real help exists, and recovery is genuinely possible.
A Closing Reflection
Allah has honoured the human being. The Quran says: "And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam" (Quran 17:70). Your body is honoured by Allah, not because of how it looks, but because He created it and breathed His spirit into your soul.
Healing from an eating disorder is, in part, learning to see your body the way Allah sees it — as a trust, a vehicle for your worship and your life, worthy of care and gentleness.
May Allah grant healing and a return to peace with the body for every sister who has been at war with hers. Aameen.
Sources & Further Reading
Treasure J, Duarte TA, Schmidt U. "Eating disorders." The Lancet, 395(10227):899–911, 2020.
Schaumberg K, et al. "The science behind the academy for eating disorders' nine truths about eating disorders." European Eating Disorders Review, 25(6):432–450, 2017.
Bulik CM, et al. "Genetic epidemiology, endophenotypes, and eating disorder classification." International Journal of Eating Disorders, 40(S):S52–S60, 2007.
Frank GKW, et al. "The neurobiology of eating disorders." Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 28(4):629–640, 2019.
Culbert KM, Racine SE, Klump KL. "Research Review: What we have learned about the causes of eating disorders." Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56(11):1141–1164, 2015.
Holland G, Tiggemann M. "A systematic review of the impact of the use of social networking sites on body image and disordered eating outcomes." Body Image, 17:100–110, 2016.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Eating Disorders.