PURPOSE

To analyse the relation of illness anxiety, dysfunctional cognitions characteristic of somatic symptom disorders and orthorexic eating behaviour in a non-clinical sample.

METHODS

N = 445 participants (n = 363 females) completed an online survey with the following questionnaires: the Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale to measure orthorexic eating behaviour, the Attitudes Towards Body and Health Questionnaire to assess dysfunctional cognitions concerning the perception and interpretation of bodily sensations and the Multidimensional Inventory of Hypochondriacal Traits to measure illness anxiety.

RESULTS

In the total sample, orthorexic eating behaviour was associated with the aforementioned variables to a very low extent. However, individuals with high levels of orthorexic eating behaviour (n = 19) displayed significantly higher levels of health habits and of perceptions of autonomic sensations, as well as higher levels of hypochondriacal worry and absorption than individuals with low levels of orthorexic eating behaviour (n = 19).

CONCLUSIONS

Orthorexic eating behaviour is associated to some characteristic features of illness anxiety and dysfunctional cognitions characteristic of somatic symptom disorders. Future studies should investigate whether illness anxiety serves as a risk factor for the development of orthorexic eating behaviour.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

III, case-control analytic study.