A Strange New Culprit Behind Eating Disorders

In 2007, Carlo Carandang, then an attending physician at a hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, saw a most unusual patient: an 8-year-old boy who had recently adopted some strange beliefs, all while losing 18 pounds. After his school held a lesson on healthy eating, he started to scrutinize food labels and avoid fat and carbs, according to Carandang, who now works as a data scientist. The boy also developed odd tics, flapping his arms and tapping his mouth to undo what he perceived to be “contamination.” Carandang knew that the boy had always been an anxious child and that he had a history of recurring strep throat.