Vegetarianism and Eating Disorders

Heiss, Sydney; Hormes, Julia M.; Timko, C. Alix

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803968-7.00004-6

Cited by 16 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Vegetarianism is a generic term that encompasses a variety of dietary patterns that each involves, to some extent, the avoidance of meat 2 . While omnivores consume all types of animal products 3 , true vegetarians are defined as those who do not eat any meat, poultry, or fish 4 . Vegetarians may be further sub-classified based on the inclusion of eggs (ovo-vegetarians), diary (lacto-vegetarians), fish (pesco-vegetarians), poultry (pollo-vegetarians), or a combination of these foods in their diet 2,5,6 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Vegetarians may be further sub-classified based on the inclusion of eggs (ovo-vegetarians), diary (lacto-vegetarians), fish (pesco-vegetarians), poultry (pollo-vegetarians), or a combination of these foods in their diet 2,5,6 . Finally, vegans are those who refrain from eating any animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and other animal-derived foods 3 . Individuals may adopt a vegetarian diet for a variety of reasons which may be ethical, moral, religious, environmental, health-related, or concerns about animal welfare 7 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Individuals may adopt a vegetarian diet for a variety of reasons which may be ethical, moral, religious, environmental, health-related, or concerns about animal welfare 7 . The majority of recent studies suggest that ethical concerns are the most common motivation for adopting a vegetarian diet, followed by health considerations 3,5,8 . While health vegetarians avoid meat in order to derive the perceived health benefits of a vegetarian diet or to lose weight, ethical vegetarians avoid meat for animal welfare reasons 9 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The PHQ-4 allows for the brief measurement of depression and anxiety based on participants' responses to 4 items on a Likert scale ranging from "not at all" to "nearly every day". Total scores range from 0 to 12, and correspond to no (0-2), mild (3)(4)(5), moderate (6)(7)(8), or severe (9-12) psychological distress 44 . The EDE-Q8 is an 8-item self-report questionnaire used to assess eating disorder psychopathology.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Prevalence and psychopathology of vegetarians and vegans – Results from a representative survey in Germany

Paslakis

Richardson

Nöhre

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of, and attitudes toward, vegetarianism and veganism. We also assessed the association between vegetarianism/veganism and eating disorder, depressive, and somatic symptoms. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey in adults in Germany that was representative in terms of age, gender, and educational level was carried out. Data from 2449 adults (53.5% females) were included. Mean age was 49.6 (SD 17.1) years. A total of 5.4% of participants reported following a vegetarian or vegan diet. While the majority of participants agreed that vegetarian diets are healthy and harmless (56.1%), only 34.8% believed this to be true of vegan diets. The majority of participants also believed that a vegetarian (58.7%) or vegan (74.7%) diet can lead to nutritional deficiency. Female gender, younger age, higher education, lower body mass index (BMI), and higher depressive and eating disorder symptoms were found to be associated with vegetarianism/veganism. We did not find increased physical complaints in the group of vegetarians/vegans. Our results point toward a moderate prevalence of vegetarianism/veganism among the general population. Our findings suggest that health care professionals should keep eating disorder pathology, affective status in mind when dealing with individuals who choose a vegetarian/vegan dietary pattern.of vegetarians are found in India, where they comprise 30% of the population 12,13 . Veganism is less common with the prevalence reported to be about 2% in the United States 10 and less than 1% in Germany 14 . In several studies, education and income were found to be inversely associated with meat consumption [14][15][16] . Subsequent research conducted within Central European countries also indicates that vegetarians tend to be more educated and affluent than omnivores 14,17 . Allès et al. 18 confirmed that vegetarians tend to be more educated than omnivores, but also found out that vegans tend to have lower educational attainment. Additionally, women are far more likely to be vegetarian than men 8 ; even among non-vegetarians, women have been found to eat considerably less meat than men 1,14,19,20 .Although strict and unbalanced dietary restrictions can pose a risk of micronutrient deficiencies 2 , it is the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are nutritionally adequate and may be beneficial for health 21 . A comprehensive meta-analysis of 80 studies provides evidence for the link between a vegetarian diet and a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and certain types of cancer 22 . Vegetarianism has also been associated with reduced risk of hypertension, diverticular disease, degenerative arthritis, and metabolic syndrome in other studies 4,23 . Also, the use of vegetarian and vegan diets is often associated with other health behaviors including non-smoking and regular physical activity 1 . Additionally, studies conducted in Western countries have consistently shown that v...

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Prevalence and psychopathology of vegetarians and vegans – Results from a representative survey in Germany

Paslakis

Richardson

Nöhre

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It has been hypothesized that meat avoidance is associated with an elevation of eating disorder symptomology, though past research has produced largely inconclusive or conflicting findings (for a review, see Heiss, Hormes & Timko, ). This is likely due in part to (a) a failure to differentiate between different subgroups of vegetarians, with research on dietary vegans (i.e., those restricting all animal products from the diet) still in its infancy, and (b) usage of measures of eating disorder symptoms not yet validated in these specific subgroups of eaters (Heiss et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Eating Disorder Examination‐Questionnaire: A comparison of five factor solutions across vegan and omnivore participants

Heiss

Boswell

Hormes

2018

Intl J Eating Disorders

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

The impact of climate change on eating disorders: An urgent call for research

Rodgers

Paxton

Becker

2022

Intl J Eating Disorders

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate change affects many of the documented risk factors for eating disorders (EDs) through direct and indirect pathways, yet to date the research in this area is nonexistent. Our aim is to identify the specific mechanisms through which climate change might be associated with increased risk for EDs, an exacerbation in symptoms, or poor clinical outcomes; highlight limited empirical data addressing these issues; and propose directions for a research program in this important area. Pathways for the impact of climate change on eating disorders and related data were reviewed. Four main pathways for the effects of climate change on EDs were identified including (1) decreased food access and security; (2) changes in mean temperature; (3) concerns related to food safety and eco-anxiety; and (4) indirect pathways through trauma, adversity, and increased mental health concerns. Except for the relationship between increased food insecurity and EDs, these pathways remain largely uninvestigated. Numerous factors may be implicated in the relationship between climate change and EDs. Future work in this area is imperative and should be conducted through a social justice lens with particular attention paid to the global areas most impacted by climate change and related vulnerabilities. Climate change will likely have adverse impacts on individuals with eating disorders and increase the risk for eating disorders. This paper reviews the different ways in which climate change may have these effects and calls for researchers to pay attention to this important area.

show abstract

Vegetarianism and Eating Disorders

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Prevalence and psychopathology of vegetarians and vegans – Results from a representative survey in Germany

Prevalence and psychopathology of vegetarians and vegans – Results from a representative survey in Germany

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Eating Disorder Examination‐Questionnaire: A comparison of five factor solutions across vegan and omnivore participants

The impact of climate change on eating disorders: An urgent call for research

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About