Associations between Orthorexia Nervosa symptoms and executive functioning in physically active adults

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between core executive functioning (EF) domains (working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility) and both healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa in physically active adults. Participants were 342 adults (50.9% women; mean age = 23.40, SD = 5.62) who exercised regularly. They completed the Adult Executive Functioning Inventory, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, and the Teruel Orthorexia Scale. Pearson correlations and two-step multiple regression analyses controlling for demographic variables were conducted. Results showed that orthorexia nervosa was positively associated with working-memory difficulties and negatively associated with cognitive flexibility, while inhibition was not a significant predictor. Executive functioning variables did not significantly predict healthy orthorexia after controlling for demographics. Overall, the findings highlight the relevance of executive functioning in orthorexia nervosa and suggest that cognitive remediation approaches targeting cognitive rigidity and working memory may be beneficial in reducing maladaptive health-focused eating behaviors.