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Orthorexic eating behaviour as a coping strategy in patients with anorexia nervosa

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

Abstract

Purpose

Orthorexia nervosa is defined as the fixation on health-conscious eating behaviour and has recently been discussed as a new variant of disordered eating. The aim of the present study was to analyse orthorexic eating behaviour in an inpatient treatment sample of female anorexics to investigate the relation between anorexic and orthorexic eating behaviour.

Method

Female anorexic patients with low (n = 29) and pronounced (n = 13) orthorexic eating behaviour as well as a matched control group composed of healthy females (n = 30) were compared with regard to several aspects of disordered eating, hypochondriacal traits, food consumption frequency and fulfilment of basic psychological needs in terms of eating. Orthorexic eating behaviour was assessed using the Düsseldorfer Orthorexie Skala.

Results

Fulfilment of basic psychological needs with respect to autonomy and competence is higher in anorexic individuals with pronounced orthorexic eating behaviour compared to patients with low orthorexic eating behaviour. Furthermore, patients with pronounced orthorexic eating behaviour state eating healthy food regardless of calorie content more often. No difference was found for hypochondriacal traits and eating disordered symptoms in general.

Conclusions

Orthorexic eating behaviour enhances self-perception of eating behaviour as autonomous and competent, indicating that it might serve as a coping strategy in anorexic individuals. Further research is needed to investigate if this tendency in food selection strategy leads to positive effects in the long term.

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Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank Karsten Braks, Sonia Livia Arianna Belfiore, Eva Henkemeier, Leoni Braun and Karolina Friese for their valuable support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Psychology, Institute of Experimental Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Friederike Barthels, Frank Meyer & Reinhard Pietrowsky

  2. Centre for Eating Disorders, Klinik am Korso, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany

    Thomas Huber

Authors
  1. Friederike Barthels
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  2. Frank Meyer
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  3. Thomas Huber
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  4. Reinhard Pietrowsky
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Correspondence to Friederike Barthels.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Barthels, F., Meyer, F., Huber, T. et al. Orthorexic eating behaviour as a coping strategy in patients with anorexia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord 22, 269–276 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0329-x

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