Dietary patterns in anorexia nervosa

Abstract

This study characterized the dietary patterns of 96 patients with anorexia nervosa who were seen for diet history. The mean age of the patients was 16.6 yr, and mean loss from preillness weight was 28%. Twenty-five patients ate high-quality meals regularly but simply restricted calories. Eleven maintained a high-quality diet but ate at irregular intervals; of these, six had episodes of binge-eating and vomiting or fasting. Among patients whose diets were qualitatively poor, 19 consumed regular meals and 41 ate irregularly; 31 of the latter had episodes of binge-eating and vomiting or fasting. No typical profile of dietary manipulations by these patients was found. Beyond the generalization that there was caloric restriction that resulted in weight loss, there was great variability in the diet patterns.