Eating pathology, fat avoidance, and serum estradiol concentrations in young women.

OBJECTIVE

Pathological dieting in young women is a continuum of behavior, with bulimia nervosa representing the extreme end of the continuum. This cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the relationship between the degree of eating pathology and dietary intake of college-age women. The relationship between dietary intake and serum estradiol concentrations was also examined.

METHOD: We evaluated the dietary intake of 69 women, defined according to degree of eating pathology with a questionnaire instrument. Three-day food records at follicular and luteal phases of one menstrual cycle, and serum estradiol concentrations at approximate menstrual cycle days 6, 21, and 28, were evaluated.

RESULTS

Greater degree of eating pathology was associated with significantly lower dietary fat and energy intake (p < .05). A trend for luteal phase energy intake to be related to serum estradiol concentration at day 28 (p = .06) was also observed.

DISCUSSION: Fat avoidance may be a useful indicator of increased risk for an eating disorder in young women.