The healthy eating disorder: What dietitians need to know

Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is an eating disorder where individuals presentwith obsessive behaviours associated with the pursuit of a healthy diet.Despite causing adverse physical and psychological symptoms, there is apaucity of research in relation to this pattern of disordered eating. Thisstudy aimed to provide a scoping review to define the clinical symptomsof orthorexia, how it differentiates from other formally recognised eatingdisorders, and to determine appropriate treatment modalities. Using thePreferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses(PRISMA) 2009 guidelines, four databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINHAL,and PsycINFO) were searched for articles published from January 2010to September 2017, with eleven articles meeting the inclusion criteria.Results show that ON is a distinct eating disorder with significant clinicalsymptoms and micronutrient deficiencies. Psychoeducation, nutritioncounselling and the drug oral olanzapine were proposed as effectivetreatment modalities. Our analysis indicates there is sufficient evidence tosuggest ON is an emerging and distinct eating disorder worthy of dieteticattention. Future research should focus on the clinical symptoms, treat-ment and management of ON from a nutrition perspective.