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. 2021 Dec:6:100197.
doi: 10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100197. Epub 2021 Jul 22.

Food Allergy, Eating Disorders and Body Image

Syeda Jafri  1   2 , Tara Lynn Frykas  1   3   4 , Theresa Bingemann  1   5 , Wanda Phipatanakul  1   6 , Lisa M Bartnikas  1   6 , Jennifer L P Protudjer  1   7   8   9   10   11
Affiliations

Food Allergy, Eating Disorders and Body Image

Syeda Jafri et al. J Affect Disord Rep. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Background/introduction: Food allergy (FA) management involves avoiding allergenic foods to prevent an adverse reaction. Affected individuals spend substantial amounts of time thinking about food and the impact it has on their bodies. As such, we posit sustained awareness of food choices may contribute to distorted body image and disordered eating. We performed a narrative review to glean insight into associations between FA, body image and eating disorders.

Methods: A literature search of Scopus, PsycINFO, PubMed and Google Scholar was conducted connecting terms for "food allergy" with terms for "body image" and "eating disorders". Title and abstract screening were independently performed by two reviewers, with relevant abstracts carried forward to full text screening.

Results: 159 articles were eligible for full text screening and a total of 12 publications were ultimately included in this narrative review, and 1 article from the grey literature. Adolescents and adults both reported feeling as though their bodies were "defective" and were found to have integrated their FA as a stable facet of their identities. In addition, FA was overwhelmingly associated with prevalence of eating disorders and eating disorder-like symptoms. Disturbed body image was found to be a mediating variable for the development of disordered patterns of eating in food allergic individuals.

Limitations: Few studies appeared to consider comorbidities as confounders. Also, many studies employed convenience sampling, which does limit generalizability of conclusions.

Discussion/conclusion: Based on a small body of literature, there appears to be a potential association between FA and distorted body image and disordered eating.

Keywords: Allergies; Anorexia nervosa; Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder; Body image; Bulimia nervosa; Eating disorder; Food allergy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest SJ none TF none TB none WB none LB none JP is the Section Head of Allied Health for the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; and sits on the steering committee of Canada’s National Food Allergy Action Plan.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Prisma Flowchart Detailing Identification, Screening and Selection of Eligible Papers Included in This Narrative Review
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Proposed Mechanism for Development of Eating Disorders Mediated by Body Image Disturbance as A Result of Food Allergy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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