Towards the prevention of eating disorders. Some preliminary findings from an empirical investigation.

The high incidence of disordered eating among female adolescents and young adult women has been noted in surveys carried out in Australia, the USA, New Zealand and the UK. While a critical feature that distinguishes those who go on to develop anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa is their sense of a loss of control over their eating, the psychological and nutritional concomitants of this loss of control have not been empirically investigated. Preliminary findings are described from an experimental study which is aimed at systematically investigating the relationship between dietary composition and consumatory patterns, hunger and satiety. The results are discussed in terms of the possible role of 'diet' in perpetuating the symptoms of bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.