Integrative Practitioner’s Top Articles of 2024

Orthorexia: A Unique and Complex Eating Disorder on the Rise

Orthorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that many people are unaware of and can be challenging to treat. A systematic review and meta-analysis featuring more than 30,000 people from 18 different countries published last year shows that the condition is on the rise and more common than you may think.

The analysis searched four databases from January 2005 to July 2023 and found that approximately three out of ten participants had symptoms of orthorexia. The key characteristic of orthorexia is an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating with a focus specifically on eating “clean and pure.” A 2022 review describes it as an unhealthy eating pattern that can start out health-promoting but then escalates. It includes an attitude of self-punishment that results in cleansing fasts and even tighter dietary restrictions. The patient can feel fearful of disease, anxiety, shame, and a sense of impurity.

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