Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Associated With Eating Disorder Symptoms? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
6 affiliations
- 1Health and Social Research Center Universidad de Castilla‐La Mancha Cuenca Spain
- 2Institute for Health Research of Castilla‐La Mancha (IDISCAM) Toledo Spain
- 3Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM) Instituto de Salud Carlos III Madrid Spain
- 4Faculty of Nursing Universidad de Castilla‐La Mancha Albacete Spain
- 5Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University Stockholm Sweden
- 6Higher Institute of Physical Education Universidad de la República Maldonado Uruguay
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.
Method: 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]).
Results: 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.
Discussion: 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.
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BibTeX
@article{diazgoni2026vegetarian,
title = {{Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Associated With Eating Disorder Symptoms? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis}},
author = {Valentina Díaz‐Goñi and Arthur Eumann Mesas and Estela Jiménez‐López and Tomás Olivo‐Martins‐de‐Passos and Fernando Peral‐Martínez and Ana María Peraile‐Huerta and María Eugenia Visier‐Alfonso and Miriam Garrido‐Miguel and Bruno Bizzozero‐Peroni},
journal = {The International Journal of Eating Disorders},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1002/eat.70158},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70158},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Are Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Associated With Eating Disorder Symptoms? A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
AU - Valentina Díaz‐Goñi
AU - Arthur Eumann Mesas
AU - Estela Jiménez‐López
AU - Tomás Olivo‐Martins‐de‐Passos
AU - Fernando Peral‐Martínez
AU - Ana María Peraile‐Huerta
AU - María Eugenia Visier‐Alfonso
AU - Miriam Garrido‐Miguel
AU - Bruno Bizzozero‐Peroni
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/07
JO - The International Journal of Eating Disorders
DO - 10.1002/eat.70158
UR - https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.70158
AB - 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. Method: 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]). Results: 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. Discussion: 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.
SN - 0276-3478
SN - 1098-108X
ER -