Eating disorders in teenage vegetarians: cause for concern?

A recent study from the University of Minnesota raised the concern that teen vegetarians are more likely to have eating disorders than non-vegetarians. This study, which surveyed nearly 5,000 middle- and high-school students, found that almost 6% described themselves as being vegetarian or not eating red meat. More than half of the self-described "vegetarians" ate chicken, so the description of their diet as "vegetarian" is misleading. Teens who described themselves as vegetarian were more weight-conscious and more likely to have been told they had an eating disorder, including conditions like anorexia nervosa and bulimia. These teens reported that their main reason for using a vegetarian or partial vegetarian diet was as a weight control method. Unfortunately, they were also practicing other behaviors which were not as healthful as a vegetarian diet can be, including using diet pills, abusing laxatives, and self-inducing vomiting after meals.

Can we say that these teens had eating disorders as a result of their vegetarian diet? No, we can't. It seems more likely that these teens already had a number of issues with food and body weight and simply chose a vegetarian or partial vegetarian diet as one more way to restrict their food intake. This study shows that it is important to carefully define the term "vegetarian," since the study's results made it appear that vegetarians were at increased risk for eating disorders when, indeed, only half of these "vegetarians" really were vegetarian. Another study has shown that only 6% of teens with anorexia nervosa chose to follow a vegetarian diet before the onset of their eating disorder. Many more became vegetarian after the onset of their eating disorder.

Perry CL, McGuire MT, Newmark-Sztainer D, Story M. 2001. Characteristics of vegetarian adolescents in a multiethnic urban population. J Adolesc Health 29:406-416.

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