Screening warranted
Dr. Ganson noted that additional research is needed to support the findings from his study, and to further illuminate the potential harms of IF.
Health care professionals “need to be aware of common, contemporary dietary trends that young people engage in and are commonly discussed on social media, such as IF,” he noted. In addition, he’d like to see health care professionals assess their patients for IF who are dieting and to follow-up with assessments for ED-related attitudes and behaviors.
“Additionally, there are likely bidirectional relationships between IF and ED attitudes and behaviors, so professionals should be aware the ways in which ED behaviors are masked as IF engagement,” Dr. Ganson said.
More research needed
Commenting on the findings, Angela Guarda, MD, professor of eating disorders at Johns Hopkins University and director of the eating disorders program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, both in Baltimore, said more research is needed on outcomes for IF.
“We lack a definitive answer. The reality is that IF may help some and harm others and is most likely not healthy for all,” she said, noting that the study results “support what many in the eating disorders field believe, namely that IF for someone who is at risk for an eating disorder is likely to be ill advised.”
She added that “continued research is needed to establish its safety, and for whom it may be a therapeutic versus an iatrogenic recommendation.”
The study was funded by the Connaught New Researcher Award. The authors reported no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.