ABSTRACT

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an emerging dietary trend that remains understudied. This study aimed to describe the implementation and eating disorder (ED) symptomatology, relevant to engagement in IF among both men and women. Intermittent fasters (N = 44 women, N = 20 men) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk, Reddit, and a Midwestern University were administered a demographic questionnaire, an assessment of ED symptomatology (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire; EDE-Q), and asked about their IF use. To assess the level of ED symptomatology among individuals using IF community and clinical norms were used for comparison. We hypothesized a) men and women engaging IF would score higher on the EDE-Q and b) more individuals engaging in IF would endorse ED behaviors (e.g., self-induced vomiting) than community norms. Intermittent fasters reported fasting for approximately 16 hours daily and for weight loss purposes. Men and women engaging in IF scored significantly higher than community norms on all subscales of the EDE-Q, with 31.25% of participants’ EDE-Q scores being at or above the clinical EDE-Q cut-off. Men and women engaging in IF reported engaging in ED behaviors. Results suggest that IF is associated with ED symptomatology. Further research on psychological characteristics and temporal order of the association between IF and ED symptomatology is warranted.

摘要

间歇性禁食 (IF) 是一种新兴的饮食趋势，但仍未得到充分研究。本研究旨在描述与男性和女性参与 IF 相关的实施和饮食失调 (ED) 症状。对从 Amazon Mechanical Turk、Reddit 和中西部大学招募的间歇性禁食者（N = 44 名女性，N = 20 名男性）进行人口统计问卷调查，评估 ED 症状（饮食失调检查问卷；EDE-Q），并询问关于他们的中频使用。为了评估使用 IF 社区和临床规范的个体之间的 ED 症状水平，用于比较。我们假设 a) 参与 IF 的男性和女性在 EDE-Q 上得分更高，并且 b) 参与 IF 的更多人会支持 ED 行为（例如，自我诱发的呕吐）而不是社区规范。间歇性禁食者报告每天禁食约 16 小时，以减轻体重。参与 IF 的男性和女性在 EDE-Q 的所有分量表上的得分均显着高于社区标准，31.25% 的参与者的 EDE-Q 得分等于或高于临床 EDE-Q 临界值。参与 IF 的男性和女性报告参与了 ED 行为。结果表明，IF 与 ED 症状相关。有必要进一步研究 IF 和 ED 症状学之间关联的心理特征和时间顺序。参与 IF 的男性和女性报告参与了 ED 行为。结果表明，IF 与 ED 症状相关。有必要进一步研究 IF 和 ED 症状学之间关联的心理特征和时间顺序。参与 IF 的男性和女性报告参与了 ED 行为。结果表明，IF 与 ED 症状相关。有必要进一步研究 IF 和 ED 症状学之间关联的心理特征和时间顺序。