Anorexia nervosa is an
eating disorder in which the afflicted individual avoids eating or eats extremely little out of an
irrational fear of becoming or being
fat. This fear/perception of being fat does not diminish as the individual loses weight (often to a
dangerous extent -- some individuals may lose up to 25% of their original weight). This condition is most common among young women (ages 12 to 21) but is also found in men (particularly
athletes,
dancers, etc.) and in older women.
From the BioTech Dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/. For further information see the BioTech homenode.