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Orthorexia nervosa and type 1 diabetes: results of a cross-sectional study

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A Correction to this article was published on 29 May 2023

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Abstract

Aim

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is a condition characterized by an excessive importance attributed to the intake of healthy foods. This study was aimed at investigating the prevalence of ON in subjects with type 1 diabetes (T1D) compared to control subjects.

Methods

Patient with T1D using either flash glucose monitoring or continuous glucose monitoring were enrolled. For the selection of control group, each patient was asked to indicate one non-diabetic subject of their same sex and approximate age among colleagues at work and school. Patients and controls completed the following questionnaires: ORTO-15, Dusseldorf Orthorexie Scale (DOS), Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). The principal outcome was the prevalence of ON among T1D and control subjects.

Results

We enrolled 44 patients with T1D aged 39.7 ± 15.7 years, with BMI 24.3 ± 4.3 kg/m2, and mean HbA1c 53.5 [49–57] mmol/mol. Control subjects were similar to T1D with respect to sex, age and BMI. Thirty-two [72%] and 29 [65%] subjects among patients and controls, respectively, had ORTO15 < 40 (between-group p = 0.48). Two (4.5%) and zero subjects among patients and controls, respectively, had DOS ≥ 30 (p = 0.29). Median scores of DOS, but not of ORTO-15, were significantly higher in patients than in controls. None of the metabolic variables showed a correlation with psychometric tests in T1D.

Conclusion

Although the prevalence of ON was not significantly higher in T1D than in controls, patients with T1D showed higher scores of some, but not all, tests assessing orthorexia, without any significant correlation with metabolic parameters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Diabetology Unit, Pistoia San Jacopo Hospital, Pistoia, Italy

    Claudia Cosentino

  2. Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Eleonora Rossi, Chiara Campanino & Valdo Ricca

  3. Department of Diabetology, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Laura Pala, Edoardo Mannucci & Ilaria Dicembrini

  4. Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, University of Florence, Viale Morgagni 50, 50134, Florence, Italy

    Romina Lelmi, Edoardo Mannucci & Ilaria Dicembrini

  5. Psychiatry Unit, AOU Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy

    Francesco Rotella

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  1. Claudia Cosentino
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Correspondence to Claudia Cosentino.

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Conflict of interest

Edoardo Mannucci has received consultancy fees from Merck and Novartis speaking fees from Astra Zeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Eli-Lilly, Merck, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, and Novartis, and research grants from Merck, Novartis, and Takeda. Ilaria Dicembrini has received speaking fees from Merck, Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly, Abbott, Sanofi, and Boehringer Ingelheim. Valdo Ricca received fees from agencies for speaking in symposia sponsored by Angelini, Janssen, Lundbeck, Otsuka. Cosentino Claudia, Rossi Eleonora, Pala Laura, Lelmi Romina, Chiara Campanino, Francesco Rotella declare no conflict of interest to disclose.

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The study was approved by the Florence Ethical Board (approval number CEAVC 17044_oss/2020).

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Cosentino, C., Rossi, E., Pala, L. et al. Orthorexia nervosa and type 1 diabetes: results of a cross-sectional study. Acta Diabetol 60, 681–686 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00592-023-02044-9

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