Are orthorexia nervosa symptoms associated with deficits in inhibitory control?

PURPOSE: This study explored whether inhibitory control is associated with symptoms of orthorexia nervosa, a condition that involves substantial behavioral control in regard to healthy eating. METHOD: Participants (50 women, 13 men) completed the Eating Habits Questionnaire as a measure of orthorexia symptomatology, along with computerized versions of the Go/No-Go Task, Flanker Task, and Stroop Task. RESULTS: Orthorexia symptomatology did not correlate with either percent error or response time for any of the three tasks (all p's > 0.10). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that orthorexia is not associated with deficits or other differences in inhibitory control. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, descriptive cross-sectional study.