The connection between exercise addiction and orthorexia nervosa in German fitness sports

PurposeThe combination of physical activity and healthy eating habits has potentially positive effects on health. However, both practices can also lead to pathological behaviors such as exercise addiction (EA) and orthorexia nervosa (ON), thus generating negative effects. So far, studies analyzing the connection between these two phenomena cannot be found. The current paper is aiming to close this gap.MethodsThe sample (n=1.008) consisted of 559 male and 449 female active members of three fitness studios, and was analyzed in a cross-sectional study design. The Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) was used to establish exercise addiction and the Dusseldorfer Orthorexie Skala (DOS) was used to evaluate orthorectic eating behavior.ResultsOut of the whole sample, 10.2% exhibit EA, while ON is prevalent in 3.4%. Twenty-three (2.3%) individuals suffer from both. There is a significant positive correlation between DOS and EAI (p<.001, r=.421). Female participants (p<.001, r=.452) show a higher correlation compared to male participants (p<.001, r=.418).ConclusionThe results suggest a positive correlation between ON and EA in the context of German fitness sports. Both seem to be serious phenomena and require further investigation.Level of evidenceLevel V (cross-sectional descriptive study).