The relationship between orthorexia nervosa symptomatology and body image attitudes and distortion

Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a condition characterized by a fixation on healthy eating, still does not conform to any consensus concerning diagnostic criteria, notably in regard to a possible body image component. This study investigated the relationship between ON symptomatology, measured with the Eating Habit Questionnaire, and body image attitudes and body image distortion in a non-clinical sample. Explicit body image attitudes and distortion were measured using the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire. Implicit body image attitudes and distortion were assessed using the reverse correlation technique. Correlational analyses showed that ON is associated with both explicit and implicit attitudes and distortion toward body image. More precisely, multivariate analyses combining various body image components showed that ON is mostly associated with explicit overweight preoccupation, explicit investment in physical health and leading a healthy lifestyle, and implicit muscularity distortion. These findings suggest that ON symptomatology is positively associated with body image attitudes and distortion in a non-clinical sample. However, further studies should be conducted to better understand how ON symptomatology relates to body image, especially among clinical samples.