anorexia is better explained by heredity — perhaps by some of the same genes associated with autism.

both anorexic and autistic patients have a tendency to behave obsessively and suffer from rigid ways of thinking.

Both autism-spectrum conditions and anorexia share a narrow focus of attention, a resistance to change and excellent attention to detail

about 15% to 20% of patients with anorexia may also have Asperger's syndrome, an autism-spectrum disorder

About 15 times as many boys are given a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome as are girls, and nearly 10 times as many girls develop anorexia as boys. It's easy to see how an outsized sense of perfectionism in a female might lead to an unhealthy obsession with thinness — given society's preoccupation with physical appearance — while a male might end up obsessing about cars or trains, which is typical in autistic boys.