the first major scientific paper on Orthorexia nervosa, the symptoms of which
can be seen in many raw diet gurus:

Orthorexia nervosa: A preliminary study with a proposal for diagnosis and an
attempt to measure the dimension of the phenomenon

L.M. Donini*, D. Marsili*, M.P. Graziani **, M. Imbriale*, and C. Cannella*
*Istituto di Scienza dell’Alimentazione, Università degli Studi di Roma “La
Sapienza”, and **Istituto di Scienze dell’Alimentazione, CNR, Avellino, Italy

Aim: To propose a diagnostic proceeding and to try to verify the prevalence of
orthorexia nervosa (ON), an eating disorder defined as “a maniacal obsession
for healthy foods”. Materials and Methods: 404 subjects were enrolled.
Diagnosis of ON was based on both the presence of a disorder with
obsessive-compulsive personality features and an exaggerated healthy eating
behaviour pattern. Results: Of the 404 subjects examined, 28 were found to
suffer from ON (prevalence of 6.9%). The analysis of the physiological
characteristics, the social-cultural and the psychological behaviour that
characterises subjects suffering from ON shows a higher prevalence in men and
in those with a lower level of education. The orthorexic subjects attribute
characteristics that show their specific “feelings” towards food (“dangerous”
to describe a conserved product, “artificial” for industrially produced
products, “healthy” for biological produce) and demonstrate a strong or
uncontrollable desire to eat when feeling nervous, excited, happy or guilty.
(Eating Weight Disord. 9: 151-157, 2004). ©2004, Editrice Kurtis

Abstract and full text online access via:
http://www.kurtis.it/en/riviste.cfm?rivista=ewd&id=11&sezione=0#

Tom Billings