Anorexics found to have excess fat — in their bone marrow

Researchers have found that girls with anorexia, despite being emaciated, have strikingly high levels of fat in their bone marrow. This can be visualized in MRIs of the knee. The researchers believe that malnutrition causes hormonal alterations that push mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow to form fat cells rather than bone-forming cells. This may explain why patients with anorexia have bone loss.