Do Disordered Eating Behaviours Have Long-term Health-related Consequences?

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Long-term health impacts of young adult disordered eating are not well understood.
• Disordered eating behaviors can have significant physical and mental health consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between disordered eating behaviors in mid-20s and physical and mental health 10 years later.
• To examine gender differences in these long-term health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the population-based FinnTwin16 cohort (N=5025).
• Assessed disordered eating using the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 at age 24.
• Measured self-rated health, BMI, waist circumference, and psychological distress at ages 24 and 34.

Main Results:

• Disordered eating behaviors at age 24 were cross-sectionally and prospectively linked to poor self-rated health, higher BMI, larger waist circumference, and psychological distress in both sexes.
• After adjusting for baseline BMI and confounders, disordered eating behaviors predicted increased psychological distress in both sexes.
• Disordered eating behaviors also predicted poor self-rated health in men over the 10-year period.

Conclusions:

• Disordered eating behaviors in young adulthood are associated with adverse long-term health consequences.
• Psychological distress is a significant long-term outcome, particularly for individuals with disordered eating.
• Findings underscore the need for early intervention and long-term support for young adults with disordered eating behaviors.