Major Dietary Patterns, Exercise Addiction, and Eating Disorders Among a Sample of Physically Active Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Regular exercise has been widely acknowledged for its numerous health benefits, including improvements in physical fitness, body function, and mental well-being. However, excessive exercise and unhealthy dietary patterns can lead to adverse effects on individuals’ physical and psychological well-being. This study aimed to examine the association of dietary patterns, exercise addiction, and eating disorders among physically active young adults. Method: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 200 physically active young adults aged 18-35 years were included. The participants’ dietary intake was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) consisting of 80 food items. To determine dietary patterns, factor analysis was employed. Exercise addiction was evaluated using The Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) and Exercise Dependence Questionnaire (EDQ), and eating disorders were assessed using The Eating Disorder Examination—Questionnaire Short (EDE-QS). Result: Three main dietary patterns were identified: western, healthy, and traditional dietary patterns. The western dietary pattern was associated with increased waist-to-hip ratio ( P = .01) that remained significant after adjustment for confounders (eg, age, gender, BMI, and physical activity P = .03), while the adherence to traditional dietary pattern was linked to higher waist circumference and body shape index ( P < .05). Participants that followed the healthy dietary pattern showed a higher score of EAI and body shape concern ( P = .04). Furthermore, in structural equation modelling (SEM), eating disorder was identified as a significant positive predictor of exercise addiction ( r = .17, P < .05). Conclusion: According to our finding, those with the higher adherence to healthy dietary pattern had higher scores of exercise addiction and body shape concern. Also, eating disorder was a potential predictor of exercise addiction among young physically active individuals. Further research and targeted interventions are needed to better understand these complex relationships and develop effective strategies to promote healthy behaviors and mitigate the risk of adverse outcomes.