Orthorexia Nervosa

Orthorexia, or orthorexia nervosa, is an eating disorder that involves an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating. Unlike other eating disorders, orthorexia mostly revolves around food quality, not quantity. Unlike with anorexia or bulimia, people with orthorexia are rarely focused on losing weight (1).

 

Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: PW146
Diagnosis: Orthorexia Nervosa
US Patients:
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset:
Brain Area:
Symptoms: obsessive preoccupation with eating healthy food; the quality of food vs. amount of food eaten; more restrictive over time
Progression: may lead to excluding different classes of foods to unhealthy eating and weight “over-control”
Causes: increased viewing of Instagram where “food” is a frequent choice of topics, vs. other electronic messaging platforms
Medications:
Therapies: This is not (yet?) recognized in the 2013 “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual” as a disease.

 Youtube Video: Orthorexia Explained (Orthorexia Nervose)

Amazon or Library Book: Health Food Junkies

Click the book to link or order from Amazon.

Support Group: eatingdisordersfoundation.org; 303-333-3364

(The Eating Disorder Foundation)

4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED

The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis 

Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.

  • Orthorexic tendency and its association with weight control methods and dietary variety in Polish adults: a cross-sectional study
    by Marta Plichta on May 7, 2024

    The methods for controlling weight play a central role in formally diagnosed eating disorders (EDs) and appear to be important in the context of other nonformally recognized disorders, such as orthorexia nervosa (ON). These methods also have an impact on eating behaviors, including dietary variety. Our study aimed to: (i) assess the intensity of ON tendency by sex and BMI groups, (ii) evaluate the associations between ON tendency, weight control methods, and dietary variety, and (iii) determine...

  • Factors associated with food label use: focus on healthy aspects of orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa
    by Ezgi Bellikci-Koyu on May 4, 2024

    CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that food label users have higher orthorexia tendencies compared to non-users. Of the food label sections, healthy orthorexia showed the strongest association with use of the list of ingredients, while pathological orthorexia showed the strongest association with use of the nutrition facts panel.

  • Orthorexia Nervosa and Healthy Orthorexia in a Physically Active North American Population
    by Jennifer L Brodock on April 27, 2024

    The Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS) defines two related but distinct constructs: Orthorexia Nervosa (OrNe), a pathological fixation on a healthy diet, and Healthy Orthorexia (HeOr), an interest in a healthy diet independent of psychopathology. Here, we (a) assessed both types of Orthorexia in a large North American sample using the TOS and (b) explored if engaging in regular physical activity was associated with a greater risk of Orthorexia. A cohort of physically active adults (n = 927; 41% men)...

  • Food Beliefs and the Risk of Orthorexia in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
    by Francesca Maria Di Giorgio on April 27, 2024

    Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) believe that diet plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of their disease and the exacerbation of their symptoms. They often adopt restrictive diets that can lead to malnutrition, anxiety, and stress. Recent studies have found a correlation between IBD and eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). None of these studies report an association with orthorexia nervosa, which is an obsession...