{
  "abstract": "Objective: To synthesize the evidence on the associations between vegetarian and vegan diets (VVDs) and eating disorder (ED) symptoms compared with omnivorous diets across the lifespan.\n\nMethod: Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta‐analyses (PRISMA) 2020 Guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and Web of Science Databases up to May 1, 2026, with no language or date restrictions. Random effects models with the Hartung–Knapp–Sidik–Jonkman method were used to estimate pooled effect sizes (standardized mean difference [SMD] with 95% confidence interval [CIs]).\n\nResults: We included 24 cross‐sectional studies with a total of 25,223 participants (67.7% female; mean age range: 14.9–49.6 years). ED symptoms did not differ significantly between participants who followed VVDs and those following omnivorous diets in analyses including all eligible studies (SMD = 0.07; 95% CI: −0.04 to 0.19; I 2 = 80.3%; 95% prediction interval: −0.44 to 0.59). Results were unchanged when analyses were restricted to adult populations. No significant differences in ED symptoms were observed according to diet type (p = 0.524), measurement scale (p = 0.392), or geographic region (p = 0.633). In analyses restricted to adults, sex significantly moderated the pooled estimates (p = 0.028), with studies including a higher proportion of females reporting lower ED symptom scores among individuals following VVDs compared with omnivores.\n\nDiscussion: ED symptom levels do not appear to differ significantly between individuals following VVDs and those following omnivorous diets. Longitudinal studies accounting for dietary quality, duration of adherence, dietary motivations, and psychosocial factors are also needed to clarify this association.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Health and Social Research Center Universidad de Castilla‐La Mancha Cuenca Spain",
    "Institute for Health Research of Castilla‐La Mancha (IDISCAM) Toledo Spain",
    "Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM) Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid Spain",
    "Faculty of Nursing Universidad de Castilla‐La Mancha Albacete Spain",
    "Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden",
    "Higher Institute of Physical Education Universidad de la República Maldonado Uruguay"
  ],
  "article_type": "review article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 9,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Valentina Díaz‐Goñi",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1724-1893"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Arthur Eumann Mesas",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0088-8607"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Estela Jiménez‐López",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-8553-7701"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Tomás Olivo‐Martins‐de‐Passos",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-2419-6857"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Fernando Peral‐Martínez",
      "orcid": "0009-0008-9662-4593"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ana María Peraile‐Huerta",
      "orcid": "0009-0009-8283-7667"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "María Eugenia Visier‐Alfonso",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0364-8032"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Miriam Garrido‐Miguel",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4617-616X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Bruno Bizzozero‐Peroni",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0614-5561"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/41wqrc95wtd2x.bib",
  "cited_by": 1,
  "doi": "10.1002/eat.70158",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13726445/",
  "id": "41wqrc95wtd2x",
  "issns": [
    "0276-3478",
    "1098-108X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70158",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Review"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "3203|Eating Disorders and Behaviors"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7167704942",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13726445",
  "pmid": "42415481",
  "published": "2026-07-07",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/41wqrc95wtd2x.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-05T12:22:48Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13726445",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70158"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:3203|Eating Disorders and Behaviors",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Associated With Eating Disorder Symptoms? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis",
  "title_text": "Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Associated With Eating Disorder Symptoms? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-06T12:22:24Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/41wqrc95wtd2x",
  "venue": "The International Journal of Eating Disorders",
  "versions": []
}