Food preferences and aversions and dietary pattern in anorexia nervosa patients

Food intake, meal frequency and occurrence of vomiting and purging were assessed in 20 female patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) by two dietitians by means of a dietary history over the past month. Ten lean healthy women and 10 of normal weight served as two groups of controls. Two self-administered questionnaires, consisting of 51 questions each were developed and applied: one to get an insight into food preference and food aversion, another to evaluate the dietary pattern. A significant difference in energy intake was found between the patient group and both control groups, but not between the two control groups. Self-induced vomiting and weekly laxative use was only mentioned by the patients with AN. Between the patients and the controls significant differences were found in preference and aversion for several food products such as sugar, potatoes, meat, dates and bananas as well as in eating habits. Stepwise discriminant analysis of the data of the two questionnaires resulted in eight food items and three dietary pattern statements which specify group differences. It is concluded that the questionnaires used reveal important differences between anorexia patients and control subjects in attitudes towards foodstuffs, and can be a useful tool for early diagnosis when validated in larger samples of patients and controls.