Prevalence of orthorexic traits in type 2 diabetes mellitus: at the crossroads between nutritional counseling and eating disorders.

Disordered eating, sometimes severe and qualifying as definite eating disorder, is common in persons with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). According to a recent epidemiological survey, disordered eating occurs in 19.6% of women and 10.2% of men among adult Italian T2DM outpatients. The study was based on the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT), a questionnaire used to define the risk of eating disorders (normal values, < 20) and validated in its Italian version.The Italian cohort scoring ≥ 20 at EAT (disordered eating) included all subjects with suspected or definite binge eating disorder and night eating syndrome, identified by specific questionnaires, and many more individuals with undefined eating disturbances.