Teenage girls show signs of 'weight terror'

Several girls in their early teens are "terrified" about gaining weight, it has been revealed.

According to a UK study looking for warning signs of eating disorders, 10 percent of 13-year-old girls fear gaining weight, and doctors admitted that they were "worried" about the high degree of weight fixation found in young girls, the BBC reported.

Eating disorders, such as anorexia, tend to start in the mid-teenage years, and the study has also revealed that 5 percent of boys belonging to the same age group were fearful of getting fat.

The findings are published in Journal of Adolescent Health.