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Pathological Preoccupation with Healthy Eating (Orthorexia Nervosa) in a Spanish Sample with Vegetarian, Vegan, and Non-Vegetarian Dietary Patterns.

Author
Abstract
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Orthorexia nervosa (ON) has been defined as an obsessive and pathological attitude towards healthy nutrition. The aim of this study was to compare individuals who followed a vegan, vegetarian, and omnivore diet in terms of ON behaviors and to examine their prime motivations, attitudes, and behaviors towards food. The Spanish version of the ORTO-15 test - ORTO-11-ES - and the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ-SP) were used with a demographic questionnaire in an online survey disseminated among the social networks of different vegetarian associations and the general population. Of 466 individuals, 55% followed an omnivore diet, 23.5% were vegetarian and 21.7% were vegan. Results revealed relationships between type of diet and FCQ-SP dimensions for: health and natural content = 8.7, < 0.05), sensory appeal ( = 11.4, < 0.01), weight control ( = 40.4, < 0.01), and familiarity ( = 37.3, < 0.01). Our results confirm the findings of recent studies showing that individuals who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet are more likely to develop a pathological preoccupation with healthy eating versus omnivores. Further studies are required to determine the potential lines of action for the prevention of ON.

Year of Publication
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2020
Journal
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Nutrients
Volume
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12
Issue
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12
Date Published
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2020
URL
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https://www.mdpi.com/resolver?pii=nu12123907
DOI
:
10.3390/nu12123907
Short Title
:
Nutrients
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