Here's how clean eating can become an unhealthy obsession

Washington DC Consuming healthy food is a good practice till the time it turns into an obsession because then it becomes physically and socially impairing According to a recent study those who have a history of an eating disorder obsessivecompulsive traits dieting poor body image and a drive for thinness are more likely to develop a pathological obsession with healthy eating or consuming only healthy food known as orthorexia nervosa ONIn the first exhaustive review of the psychosocial risk factors associated with orthorexia nervosa York University psychology researchers examined all studies published up until the end of 2018 in two popular databasesThey looked at studies that examined how orthorexia nervosa is related to psychosocial risk factors that predisposed or made an individual vulnerable to or more likely to develop the condition They then amalgamated all available findings for each risk factor to reach conclusions about which psychosocial factors were most reliably associated with the conditionThe longterm impact of these findings is that they will lead to better recognition among healthcare providers as well as members of the public that socalled healthy eating can in fact be unhealthy It can lead to malnourishment or make it very difficult to socialise with people in settings that involve eating It can also be expensive and timeconsuming said Jennifer Mills associate professor in the Department of Psychology and senior author on the studyWhen taken to the extreme an obsession with clean eating can be a sign that the person is struggling to manage their mental health Mills addedFindings of the study were published in the Journal of AppetitePrevious research has shown that unlike individuals with anorexia nervosa who restrict calories to maintain very low body weight people who have the condition have a fixation with the quality of food eaten and its preparation rather than the number of caloriesOver time they spend increasing amounts of time and effort purchasing planning and preparing pure and healthy meals which eventually becomes an allconsuming obsession that interferes with other areas of life and results in weight lossOne of the main reasons for conducting this study was that current research on the condition is limited Unlike other eating disorders such as anorexia bulimia orthorexia is not recognised in standard psychiatric manuals for healthcare providersIt was surprising to me that the overwhelming majority of the articles in this field were of neutralpoor quality indicating that the results of these studies must be interpreted with caution said Sarah McComb first author of the studyIt really suggests a call for more valid measurement tools of orthorexia so that more reliable conclusions can be drawn about the true prevalence of orthorexia in the population and which psychosocial factors really put a person at risk for developing orthorexia nervosa McComb assertedResearchers suggested that the findings consistently showed that those who have obsessivecompulsive traits depression and a previous eating disorder andor are preoccupied with their appearance and body image are more likely to be at risk for developing the conditionOther eating habits such as being a vegetarian or vegan also put individuals at higher risk for developing orthorexia nervosaLactovegetarians were at highest risk for the condition and people who are on a strict eating schedule spending large amounts of time preparing meals were also at greater riskIn our research we found equal rates of men and women who struggle with symptoms of orthorexia nervosa We still think of eating disorders as being a problem that affects mostly young women Because of that assumption the symptoms and negative consequences of orthorexia nervosa can fly under the radar and not be noticed or taken seriously Mills claimedAccording to the research team developing a consistent definition of orthorexia nervosa will make it easier for health researchers to develop 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