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Nutrition expertise in eating disorders

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) dominate published reports on disordered eating, although they actually account for a small number of cases. Binge eating disorder (BED) and subclinical syndromes of disturbed eating and distress are far more prevalent. Medical nutrition therapy including education is a cornerstone of therapy, however there has been no evaluation of baseline knowledge of nutrition and diet composition in this population relative to individuals who do not exhibit pathological eating behavior. In addition, previous reports suggest that individuals with clinical eating disorders have aboveaverage knowledge of nutrition. In the present investigation, individuals with subclinical eating disorders did not differ from control participants. Poor scores overall indicate that nutritional counseling may be a useful component of treatment. These results further suggest that nutrition expertise is not an early feature of the disorder and, therefore, does not likely contribute to its development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA

    H. B. Breen

  2. Division of Counseling Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA

    D. L. Espelage

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  1. H. B. Breen
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Correspondence to H. B. Breen.

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Breen, H.B., Espelage, D.L. Nutrition expertise in eating disorders. Eat Weight Disord 9, 120–125 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03325055

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