• Agnes Ayton, Ali Ibrahim, James Dugan, Eimear Galvin, and Oliver Wroe Wright.
• University of Oxford, Cotswold House Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford Health Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK. Electronic address: suchagnes@gmail.com.
• Nutrition. 2021 Apr 1; 84: 111023.

ObjectivesThere is increasing evidence of the impact of ultra-processed foods on multiple metabolic and neurobiological pathways, including those involved in eating behaviors, both in animals and in humans. In this study we aimed to explore ultra-processed foods and their link with disordered eating in a clinical sample.MethodsThis was a single site, retrospective observational study in a specialist eating disorder service using self-report on the electronic health records. Patients with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fifth edition) diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or binge eating disorder (BED) were randomly selected from the service database in Oxford from 2017 to 2019. The recently introduced NOVA classification was used to determine the degree of industrial food processing in each patient's diet. Frequencies of ultra-processed foods were analyzed for each diagnosis at each mealtime and during episodes of binging.ResultsA total of 70 female and 3 male patients were included in the study; 22 had AN, 25 BN, and 26 BED. Patients with AN reported consuming 55% NOVA-4 foods, as opposed to approximately 70% in BN and BED patients. Foods that were consumed in a binge pattern were 100% ultra-processed.ConclusionFurther research into the metabolic and neurobiological effects of ultra-processed food intake on disordered eating, particularly on binging, is needed.Crown Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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