"Food is fuel" is a widely used phrase in sport settings intended to emphasize the importance of nutrition for performance. While nutrition is essential for health and success, this framing may unintentionally reinforce a narrow, performance-oriented understanding of eating that has implications for athletes' relationships with food and their bodies. Athletes are at heightened risk for eating concerns, low energy availability, and Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs), and aspects of sport culture may contribute to rigid, rule-based approaches to eating. This commentary argues that "food is fuel" language reflects and reinforced broader sports norms centered around optimization, control, and performance. Potential consequences include reduced attunement to internal cues and the moralization of food choices, particularly in sport environments where appearance and performance are closely intertwined. Language is proposed as a modifiable factor for prevention and more flexible, athlete-centered approaches to discussing food and eating are identified. Rather than dismissing the importance of nutrition in athletics, this commentary advocates for broader conceptualizations of eating that acknowledge its physical, psychological, social, and cultural functions and support athletes in developing sustainable relationships with food throughout and beyond their athletic careers.

Body dissatisfaction is a well-established risk factor for disordered eating and eating disorders, yet the sociocultural factors shaping body image among Latina youth remain insufficiently integrated. This scoping review synthesizes psychosocial risk and protective factors contributing to body image concerns among U.S. Latina youth (≤24 years), with the aim of clarifying culturally specific factors associated with body image and relevant to eating pathology risk. A comprehensive search through April 2026 identified 27 peer-reviewed studies meeting inclusion criteria. Studies were analyzed for risk and protective factors, theoretical frameworks, and methodological trends. Risk and protective factors were identified through a structured coding process in which reviewers extracted study-level risk and protective factors and body image outcomes, with discrepancies resolved through team discussion. Key risk factors included appearance-related criticism from multiple family members, higher BMI, acculturative stress, and perceived sociocultural and media pressures, with emerging evidence highlighting structural factors such as colorism. Protective factors such as strong ethnic-racial identity and culturally congruent body ideals were associated with more favorable body image outcomes. Evidence also suggests that Latina youth may navigate competing appearance ideals, highlighting the need for frameworks that extend beyond a single appearance ideal. Although sociocultural models predominated, nearly one-third of studies lacked explicit theoretical grounding. We synthesize these findings into an ecological-intersectional framework of Latina Appearance and Body Image (LAB), developed inductively following completion of the review. The framework organizes culturally specific factors relevant to eating pathology risk, emphasizing the interplay of sociocultural pressures, cultural identity and acculturation, family dynamics, peer influences, and individual-level factors within broader structural contexts. Clinically, these findings highlight opportunities to reduce eating pathology risk by improving body image and leveraging culturally grounded protective assets while addressing Eurocentric beauty norms and colorism. Future research should prioritize longitudinal designs, diverse Latina subgroups (e.g., Afro-Latinas), multiple body ideals beyond the thin ideal, and the influence of digital media environments.

Eating disorders (EDs) are prevalent among adolescents and young adults across gender identities, yet sociocultural correlates, such as gender norms, remain understudied in gender diverse samples. The present cross-sectional study examined associations between conformity to masculine gender norms and eating disorder symptomatology in a large Canadian sample of adolescents and young adults. Participants aged 16-30 years (N = 2723; 1073 boys/men, 1477 girls/women, and 173 transgender/gender diverse individuals) completed a measure of conformity to masculine gender norms and eating disorder symptomatology. Linear regression analyses were conducted in the overall sample and stratified by gender (cisgender girls and young women, cisgender boys and young men, transgender and gender diverse [TGD] individuals), adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. In the overall sample, greater conformity to masculine gender norms, such as Emotional Control, Self-Reliance, Primacy of Work, Winning, and Heterosexual Self-Presentation, was associated with higher ED symptomatology. Gender-stratified analyses revealed both shared and distinct patterns of association. These results highlight the importance of conceptualizing masculinity as a multi-dimensional, gender-inclusive construct, and underscore the need to consider masculine gender norms and eating disorder symptomatology across diverse populations.

Disordered eating among young women has become a significant public health concern. Although social media use has been shown to be associated with disordered eating through appearance-related sociocultural attitudes, this effect varies by usage patterns and content consumed. Because these engagement patterns co-occur within individuals, the present study employed a person-centered approach to explore how distinct profiles of appearance-related Instagram activities relate to disordered eating and examined the mediating role of sociocultural attitudes toward appearance. A total of 325 Korean women aged 19-26 completed measures of Instagram appearance-related activities, sociocultural attitudes toward appearance (SATAQ-4R), and disordered eating (EAT-26). Latent profile analysis identified four profiles: high-engagement content creators (20.6%), low-engagement passive users (19.1%), heavy-time users (10.5%), and moderate users (49.8%). Profile membership was significantly associated with clinical eating disorder risk (χ[2](3) = 23.21, p < .001). Of high-engagement content creators, 32.8% met the clinical cutoff for disordered eating, representing five times higher odds compared to heavy-time users who spent substantially more time on the platform (OR = 5.05, p = .014). Sociocultural attitudes partially mediated the relationship between high-engagement content creator membership and disordered eating (20.4% of total effect), while a significant negative indirect effect for low-engagement passive users suggested that lower sociocultural attitude endorsement among this group accounted for lower disordered eating symptoms. These findings indicate that the type of Instagram engagement is more closely associated with disordered eating risk than the amount of time spent, with active creation of appearance-related content and feedback-monitoring behaviors identified as key risk factors.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are eating disorders (EDs) that represent important global public health concerns. We analyzed their epidemiological characteristics from 1990 to 2021 to assess differences by region, sex, age, and sociodemographic context. Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 1990-2021, we calculated age-standardized incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates (ASIR, ASPR, and ASDR) for EDs, AN, and BN; analyzed temporal trends using joinpoint regression; and quantified inequalities across geography, age, and sex by sociodemographic index (SDI). The global ASIR for EDs increased gradually from 1990 to 2021, with an average annual growth of 0.53%. High-SDI regions, had the highest ASIR, 1.98-fold that of low-SDI regions (P < 0.001). Incidence increased more rapidly among male individuals than female individuals (0.55% versus 0.49%), whereas female individuals had substantially higher prevalence and accounted for 63.7% of DALYs. The 15-24-year age group, spanning adolescence and early adulthood, accounted for 54.3% of cases. For subtypes, the ASIR for BN increased from 91.95/100,000 to 107.81/100,000 (+0.55%/year), whereas that for AN increased from 14.84/100,000 to 16.59/100,000 (+0.42%/year). High-SDI regions also had the highest subtype burdens, with ASIRs for AN and BN 2.36-fold and 1.92-fold those of low-SDI regions, respectively. From 1990 to 2021, the global burden of EDs increased, with the highest burden in high-SDI regions and the fastest growth in middle-SDI regions. Female individuals aged 15-24 years carried the largest burden, although incidence increased more rapidly among male individuals. These findings can inform region-specific, sex-sensitive, and age-targeted prevention and control strategies.

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) is the use of compensatory behaviors within a drinking episode to enhance alcohol's effects (FAD-AE) and/or alcohol-related caloric compensation (FAD-CC). Prior work has found that FAD-AE and FAD-CC are positively associated with eating disorder (ED) outcomes; however, it is unclear whether ED outcomes differ by the type and number of FAD motives endorsed. This study examined whether domains of ED pathology differed between those who use alcohol only and those engaging in FAD for specific motives. Participants were 2801 (Mage = 19.48; 77.6% female; 68.8% White) undergraduates from six universities who reported past-month alcohol use. Participants were categorized into four groups: Alcohol-Only, FAD-CC, FAD-AE, or FAD-Both (i.e., FAD-AE and FAD-CC). A multivariate analysis of covariance examined group differences across eight ED pathology domains (purging, restricting, excessive exercise, binge eating, muscle building, body dissatisfaction, cognitive restraint, and negative attitudes toward obesity), controlling for biological sex, age, and past-month drinking quantity. The FAD-Both group reported greater ED pathology across most domains compared to all other groups. The Alcohol-Only group reported lower binge eating and body dissatisfaction than all FAD groups. Among those reporting FAD for a single motive, the FAD-CC group reported elevated body dissatisfaction, cognitive restraint, and excessive exercise compared to the FAD-AE group, whereas the FAD-AE group reported greater restriction than the FAD-CC group. Findings underscore the heterogeneity of ED pathology among undergraduates engaging in FAD for specific motives and suggest that those endorsing FAD-Both may represent a high-risk subgroup, highlighting the need for tailored interventions.

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between weight discrimination, weight bias internalization, and disordered eating in a sample of Black adults in larger bodies. Specifically, indirect effects of weight discrimination on disordered eating through weight bias internalization were hypothesized. In this cross-sectional study, 454 Black participants living in the United States with BMIs of 25 kg/m[2] or greater were recruited from Prolific. Study hypotheses and data analysis plan were preregistered on the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/px2n5/overview). As hypothesized, indirect effects of weight discrimination on disordered eating via weight bias internalization were found. The indirect effect was observed for global eating disorder symptoms and all five eating disorder subscales (restricted eating, shape and weight overvaluation, body dissatisfaction, bingeing, and purging). Findings expand previous research with predominantly White women samples to a community sample of Black adults in larger bodies, highlighting weight discrimination and weight bias internalization as important targets for eating disorder prevention and intervention in Black adults.

Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) is an effective treatment for eating disorders (EDs), teaching three skills to overcome maladaptive eating behaviours - mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. Although research has demonstrated that each of these skills are independently protective against ED symptoms, no research has explored their interconnectedness. This limits our understanding of which facets are most strongly and uniquely related to various ED symptoms. Thus, the present study (n = 1136) employed a cross-sectional network approach to identify which DBT skills were most central (i.e. the most strongly connected to other variables in the network), and which skills acted as bridges between DBT skills and ED symptoms. Under emotion regulation, negative urgency was negatively associated with binge eating, self-compassion was negatively associated with body dissatisfaction, and psychological inflexibility was positively associated with restriction. Under mindfulness, acting with awareness was negatively associated with binge eating. Moreover, binge-eating, negative urgency, and self-compassion emerged as key bridging symptoms between DBT skills and ED symptoms. Findings suggest that emotion regulation difficulties, particularly negative urgency, psychological inflexibility, low self-compassion, and low acting with awareness, may be especially relevant to ED symptoms, whereas other mindfulness and distress tolerance skills demonstrated comparatively weaker direct associations. Self-compassion in particular emerged as an important construct in the overall network, demonstrating high centrality across strength and betweenness indices, and was identified as a bridge node between DBT skills and ED symptoms. Explicitly targeting self-compassion within DBT protocols may be useful for more reducing prominent ED symptoms.

Ultra-processed food (UPF) intake is linked to poor health, though some subgroups may offer affordable, nutritious options. Few studies have examined how UPF consumption-overall and by subgroup-relates to diet quality among populations with low income. We evaluated UPF subgroup intake and associations with diet quality among adults participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Rhode Island (RI) and Connecticut (CT) participants (n = 1244, 92% female, 58% food insecure) completed an online sociodemographic survey and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). We categorized food codes (n = 301) using NOVA, and developed thirteen UPF subgroups within NOVA group 4. We calculated UPF intake (total %kcal and by subgroup) and evaluated diet quality using the Healthy Eating Index-2020 (HEI-2020). We performed Kruskal-Wallis and Jonckheere-Terpstra tests to compare total and UPF subgroup consumption across Total HEI-2020 tertiles. Mean Total HEI-2020 score was 63.9 ± 11.5. While higher total UPF intake was associated with lower Total HEI-2020 scores, associations between subgroups and diet quality differed. Ultra-processed refined grains, sugar-sweetened beverages, and ready-to-eat/heat mixed dishes were associated with lower Total HEI-2020 scores, whereas whole grains, yogurt, and plant-based products were associated with higher Total HEI-2020 scores. UPFs are heterogeneous, with select subgroups associated with higher diet quality in a sample of SNAP-participating adults. As policymakers consider SNAP UPF waivers and restrictions, accounting for subgroup differences will be imperative to avoid unintentionally restricting access to foods that support higher diet quality among individuals with low income.

Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at elevated risk for disordered eating behaviors (DEBs). When DEBs occur in someone with T1D, they have severe consequences, including increased risk of diabetes-related medical complications and early mortality related to poor glycemic control. Fear of hypoglycemia (FoH) is a diabetes-specific factor that is assumed to play a role in DEBs in T1D, but this has not been adequately tested. The current study examined FoH as a predictor of DEBs in the natural environment in adults with T1D who met criteria for clinically significant DEBs. Participants (n = 59) completed the 18 item FoH worry subscale of the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey II and reported on their eating behavior over three days of ecological momentary assessment. A total of 737 eating episodes were reported; 235 (31.89%) eating episodes involved DEBs (overeating or binge eating). The proportion of eating episodes that involved DEBs was regressed on FoH, controlling for age. Every one-point increase in the FoH worry subscale score was associated with a 2% increase in the odds of DEB (OR = 1.02; 95% CI [1.01, 1.03], p < .001). Results suggest that FoH may be an important clinical factor when addressing DEBs in T1D.

Financial difficulty, a social driver of health, is associated with adverse maternal outcomes; however, its relation to perinatal eating behaviors is not well understood. The present study examined associations between financial difficulty and binge eating, purging, dietary restriction, and intuitive eating during pregnancy. Data were drawn from a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional, online study conducted between December 2022 and July 2023. Participants were a U.S. community sample of pregnant adults (N = 176; Mage = 29.24; 77.8% White). Approximately 35% of participants endorsed current financial difficulty. Multiple regression analyses controlling for total number of pregnancies indicated that greater financial difficulty was significantly associated with higher levels of binge eating (B = 2.04, p < .001), purging (B = 1.53, p < .001), and dietary restriction (B = 1.67, p < .001), as well as lower intuitive eating (B = -0.11, p = .002). Findings suggest that financial difficulty is associated with greater engagement in disordered eating behaviors and reduced engagement in adaptive eating during pregnancy. Results underscore financial difficulty as an important and modifiable risk factor in the perinatal period. Interventions that address financial stressors and support intuitive eating, alongside routine screening in prenatal care, may help mitigate disordered eating risk and promote maternal and fetal health outcomes.

Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are common among adolescents and are associated with an increased risk for clinical eating disorders. Using 2022-2023 National Survey of Children's Health data, we examined associations between food insecurity and food insufficiency and DEBs among U.S. adolescents aged 10-17 years. We hypothesized that adolescents experiencing food insecurity and food insufficiency would have higher rates of overall DEBs, compensatory behaviors, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) behaviors, and binge eating behavior. Using modified Poisson regression models on a weighted sample (n = 42,844, representing 30,303,175 adolescents), we estimated crude and adjusted risk ratios (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall DEBs, compensatory behaviors, ARFID behaviors, and binge eating behavior. The overall DEB prevalence was 29.7%. Compared to adolescents with food security, those with food insecurity had a 17% (aRR: 1.17; 95% CI, 1.09-1.24) increased risk of any DEB, a 12% increased risk of compensatory behaviors (aRR: 1.12; 95% CI, 1.01-1.25), an 18% increased risk of ARFID behaviors (aRR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.09-1.28), and a 25% increased risk of binge eating behavior (aRR: 1.25; 95%CI, 1.04-1.52). Those with food insufficiency had a 19% (aRR: 1.19; 95% CIs: 1.06-1.35) increased risk of any DEB, a 24% increased risk of compensatory behaviors (aRR: 1.24; 95% CI, 1.01-1.51), a 23% increased risk of ARFID behaviors (aRR: 1.23; 95%CI: 1.07-1.42), and a 16% increased risk of binge eating behavior (aRR: 1.16; 95% CI, 0.88-1.54). These findings underscore the need for public health policies and clinical practice to prioritize food security among U.S. adolescents to reduce the risk of DEBs.

Research has established that experiencing weight discrimination is associated with myriad negative consequences, including disordered eating cognitions. However, it has not yet been tested whether a parent's experiences of weight discrimination affect their children's disordered eating cognitions. This paper seeks to establish a relationship between a mother's experiences with weight discrimination and her children's disordered eating cognitions. Using data from the NHLBI Growth and Health Study, we tested whether 193 mothers' weight stigma experiences are associated with their children's (N = 264) body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness, and whether maternal restricted feeding practices is a mechanism through which they are related. We found that maternal weight discrimination experiences are associated with both child body dissatisfaction and child drive for thinness through maternal restrictive feeding practices. In race-stratified models, these same patterns were evident for non-white children but not white children. Overall, these associations were sometimes, but not consistently, robust to the addition of covariates. Our results suggest that maternal experiences of weight discrimination may influence their restrictive feeding patterns, and subsequently their children's disordered eating cognitions.