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Eating pathology, fat avoidance, and serum estradiol concentrations in young women
C L Rock1, M A Demitrack, A Drewnowski
1Human Nutrition Program, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-2029, USA.
Objective:
Pathological dieting in young women is a continuum of behavior, with bulimia nervosa representing the extreme end of the continuum. This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the relationship between the degree of eating pathology and dietary intake of college-age women. The relationship between dietary intake and serum estradiol concentrations was also examined.
Method:
We evaluated the dietary intake of 69 women, defined according to degree of eating pathology with a questionnaire instrument. Three-day food records at follicular and luteal phases of one menstrual cycle, and serum estradiol concentrations at approximate menstrual cycle days 6, 21, and 28, were evaluated.
Results:
Greater degree of eating pathology was associated with significantly lower dietary fat and energy intake (p < .05). A trend for luteal phase energy intake to be related to serum estradiol concentration at day 28 (p = .06) was also observed.
Discussion:
Fat avoidance may be a useful indicator of increased risk for an eating disorder in young women.