The study followed the eating habits of 21 women with anorexia and 21 healthy people, and conducted brain scans while the women decided which foods to eat. Women who were anorexic were more likely to choose low-fat, low calorie foods. They were also less likely to rate high-fat, high-calorie foods as “tasty.”
The brain scans showed activation in the brain’s reward center for both groups of women when they made their choices. But anorexic women had more activation in the dorsal striatum, the area of the brain that’s linked with habitual behavior.
Researchers say that indicates that the anorexic women made food choices out of habit and learned behavior, instead of deciding which foods they wanted to eat in the moment, as most people do. This may help explain why some anorexic women can get to the point where their bodies are shutting down but still aren’t able to consume a normal diet.