A Systematic Review on Exercise Addiction and the Disordered Eating-Eating Disorders Continuum in the Competitive Sport Context

Abstract

Exercise addiction (EA) affects a considerable number of individuals who regularly perform exercise-sport activities. The co-occurrence of EA manifestations and the continuum of disordered eating-eating disorders (EDs) is so common in sports that a deeper understanding of them as comorbidities is warranted. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date overview and synthesis of the research on the relationship between maladaptive exercise and dysfunctional eating in the sport context. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 22 empirical studies (23 articles) with young and adult female and male athletes from several sports and competition levels was included. EA in conjunction with eating disturbances is frequent among athletes, yet the prevalence rates are inconsistent. Existing evidence suggests that EA is a relevant outcome of ED pathology among athletes, supporting the classical secondary type of EA. However, research also reveals that excessive exercising plays a central role in the psychopathology of disordered eating. There is a need for further quantitative research addressing the features and correlates of the EA-EDs dyad, qualitative research on the subjective experiences of athletes with disordered exercise and eating, longitudinal and experimental research to establish possible causal paths and attempts to develop comprehensive conceptual models of EA and its co-occurrence with EDs, in order to improve the identification, prevention, and management of this dyadic condition in the sport context.

“If It's not on Strava it Didn’t Happen”: Perceived Psychosocial Implications of Strava use in Collegiate Club Runners

“…We addressed the central research question using a descriptive phenomenological approach. Phenomenology is used to focus on the lived experiences of individuals (Giorgi & Giorgi, 2008;Merriam & Tisdell, 2015;Patton, 2015).…”

“…This has the potential to lead to negative outcomes such as disordered eating and obsessive exercise which have been found to be more likely in young adults who use activity and diet trackers as compared to those who do not used these apps (Plateau et al, 2018). In addition, recreational runners generally are more prone to maladaptive exercise behaviors than athletes in other sports (Godoy-Izquierdo et al, 2021). These findings suggest that the benefits associated with Strava and other self-tracking apps in previous studies of older adults and non-runners may not be generalizable to club collegiate runners.…”

“…Before beginning this process we completed a bracketing exercise to demonstrate validity and identify and mitigate assumptions (Carpenter, 2007). Each member of the research team articulated both in writing and via discussion their assumptions and beliefs about the research topic, thus enabling each of us to become conscious of our knowledge and perspectives of the phenomenon in question so that our experiences did not influence our analysis of the data (Giorgi & Giorgi, 2008). Three team members separately reviewed each transcript and created code tables using inductive coding.…”

Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating in Competitive Cycling: A Scoping Review

“…DE behaviours and exercise addiction do not exist in vacuums, with multiple factors similarly contributing to both, such as body dissatisfaction and a drive for thinness. The relationship between DE and exercise addiction is logical, with excessive exercise playing a role in the psychopathology of clinical EDs in athletes [ 47 ] and these behaviours being observed in individuals with such disorders [ 48 , 49 ]. Despite the rational link between the two, exercise addiction is currently not classified as a mental disorder [ 50 ] due in part to the limited evidence to establish clear diagnostic criteria and describe the course of such conditions [ 51 ].…”

Impact of virtual adjunctive cognitive remediation therapy on cognitive flexibility and treatment outcomes in comorbid anorexia nervosa and exercise dependence as quantified using novel biomarkers: A stage 1 registered report

“…Exercise dependence is thought to be a standalone diagnosis; however, it frequently co‐occurs with disordered eating, with an estimated 80% of ED patients exhibiting unhealthy exercise behavior (Godoy‐Izquierdo et al, 2021). Prevalence of ExD is thought to be highest in those diagnosed with AN (Melissa et al, 2020), and research strongly suggests that this comorbidity contributes to greater AN symptom severity, including significantly lower body mass index (BMI), more physical health complications, difficulties with weight restoration, poor treatment engagement and efficacy, higher rates of treatment drop‐out, elevated risk of relapse, and greater risk of suicidal behavior (Cook et al, 2015; Dalle Grave et al, 2008; Freimuth et al, 2011; Meyer et al, 2011; Scharmer et al, 2020).…”