Work

Fad dieting and psychological well-being

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: • This study found significant relationships between fad dieting engagement and markers of poor mental health. • There were not sex differences in fad diet engagement despite dieting being stereotypically thought of as a predominantly female behavior. • Evidence from this study supports the notion that fad dieting should be considered a risky behavior. Fad diets are popular diets spread through social media that promise unrealistic weight loss with unrealistically easily employed methods in short periods of time. Many fad diets carry obvious risks from a purely nutritional perspective (e.g., juice diet, grapefruit only diet) and overly restrictive diets are a known risk for psychological well-being. Despite apparent risks, the current study (N = 584) is one of the first of its kind to explore whether fad dieting is associated with psychological well-being. Findings indicate that participants who engaged more with fad diets also had lower psychological well-being including greater depression ( t (580) = -2.25, p = .025), body shame ( t (580) = -2.67, p = .008), and generally disordered eating behaviors ( t (580) = -2.73, p = .006). Despite the popular notion that women are the majority of dieters, women and men were equally as likely to engage with fad diets ( p > .05) in this study. These findings suggest at least an association between fad dieting and deleterious outcomes. Future research should test for causal relationships to determine if fad dieting should be considered a risky behavior.

Source: Nutrition

DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2025.112996

Authors: Jacob Burmeister, Allison Kiefner Burmeister, London Moening, Olivia Koenig

Institution: University of Findlay

Language: English

Topic: Eating Disorders and Behaviors

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,870