Orthorexia nervosa and exercise addiction: distinct entities beyond restrictive and muscularity-oriented disordered eating behaviours?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Orthorexia Nervosa (OrNe) and Exercise Addiction (EA) are potentially dysfunctional variants of health-oriented behaviours, but their status as distinct mental disorders remains debated. OrNe is the obsessive preoccupation with 'healthy' eating, whereas EA is characterized by loss of control over exercise and prioritization over other life domains. Both commonly coincide with disordered eating, raising the question whether the clinical indicators are inherent to OrNe and EA or primarily reflect overlapping eating pathologies. This study examined whether OrNe and EA are distinct from restrictive and muscularity-oriented disordered eating by assessing their overlap and their unique links to psychological distress and psychosocial impairment.

Methods

Within a cross-s

SUBMITTER: Wachten H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12849567 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature