New year dieters have been warned that “clean eating” trends can trigger addiction to consuming healthy foods, and mental illness.
Experts surveyed 179 female fashion models and 261 healthy people in a control group about their eating habits.
The study found that 35% of models and a fifth of controls – who were mostly young university students – showed susceptibility to healthy eating addiction.
Researchers at Hungary’s Semmelweis University warned that in severe cases this could lead to orthorexia nervosa, an eating disorder where people obsess about eating food considered healthy or pure.
Dr Nikolett Bogár, a PhD student researching eating disorders at the university’s Institute of Behavioural Sciences, said sufferers focused on quality of food over quantity, but this could still have serious health consequences.
She explained: “If someone eats only certain types of food – for example, fish, vegetables, green foods, raw items, or exclusively carbohydrate-free dishes – they can just as easily develop nutrient deficiencies as those with eating disorders.
“They don’t consume enough vitamins, minerals, protein or carbohydrates.”
The study also found that 95% of participants in both groups associated healthy eating with positive emotions.
Dr Bogár, who was a fashion model for five years before completing her degree in pharmacology, said this suggested healthy eating “has become a societal norm, much like the slim beauty of the past decades”.
She urged people not to categories foods as strictly good or bad, or view restrictive eating as a form of self-punishment.
The researcher added: “Aim for a long-term, balanced diet rather than an ultra-clean one in January.
“Occasionally indulging in chocolates or holiday treats should be part of your diet – without guilt.”
The findings were published in the journal Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity.
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk
