Background: Eating disorders are more common among adolescents and young
adults. An increase in the rates of these disorders has been reported
during the last years. Meanwhile, vegetarianism is becoming more popular
in these age groups. The purpose of the present paper is to evaluate the
association between eating disorders and vegetarian diets in adolescents
and young adults. Methods: Systematic review of related articles
published in PubMed, PsycInfo and Google Scholar up to 30 May 2019.
Results: A total of 20 studies (14,391 subjects) were deemed eligible
for this systematic review. The majority of the studies reported
significant correlations between vegetarianism and eating disorders.
However, due to the cross-sectional design, a causal link between eating
disorders and vegetarian status cannot be established. Conclusions:
Vegetarianism seems to be associated with eating disorders. Longitudinal
studies are needed to establish temporal patterns between vegetarianism
and the emergence of disordered eating