Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Associated With Eating Disorder Symptoms? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

In 30 seconds

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined whether vegetarian and vegan diets (VVDs) are associated with eating disorder (ED) symptoms compared with omnivorous diets across the lifespan. It included 24 cross-sectional studies involving 25,223 participants. Overall, ED symptom scores did not differ significantly by diet: pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) was 0.07 (95% CI: -0.04 to 0.19). Findings were similar in adult-only analyses. In adult studies, sex moderated estimates; studies with a higher proportion of female participants reported lower symptom scores among VVD followers than among omnivores.

Key findings

• Across 24 cross-sectional studies and 25,223 participants, ED symptoms did not differ significantly between VVD followers and omnivores (SMD = 0.07; 95% CI: -0.04 to 0.19).
• Adult-only analyses showed results similar to the overall analysis.
• In adult studies, sex moderated pooled estimates (p = 0.028); studies with more female participants reported lower ED symptom scores among VVD followers.

Why it matters

The pooled evidence does not support a general difference in ED symptom levels between people following vegetarian or vegan diets and those eating omnivorously. This may help contextualize concerns about diet pattern and disordered eating, while the observed sex moderation and substantial between-study heterogeneity indicate that group averages may not capture all relevant differences.

What to keep in mind

All included studies were cross-sectional, so they cannot establish whether diet patterns precede or follow ED symptoms. Heterogeneity was high (I 2 = 80.3%), and the authors call for longitudinal studies accounting for dietary quality, adherence duration, motivations, and psychosocial factors.