The study also found that over 50% of people had cheat meals at least once.
The practice of taking high-calorie meals away from meals was most popular among men and was associated with binge eating, compulsive exercise, and fasting behavior.
More than half of the male, female, transgender, or gender nonconforming participants engaged in at least one “cheat meal.”According to a recent study published in , previous dietary habits Eating Disorder Journal.
Dietary cheating in the last 12 months was associated with all seven categories of eating disorder behavior in women. It was associated with behaviors such as binge eating, compulsive exercise, and fasting in men. Finally, among transgender or gender nonconforming individuals, it was associated with binge eating and binge eating habits.
“Eating behaviors such as cheat meals that have been shown to increase muscle mass and lose weight have not been adequately explored in research,” says lead author Kyle T. Gunson, PhD, MSW, University of Toronto Factor Inwentash Department of Sociology. assistant professor said. work. “This is especially important given the well-documented popularity of cheat meals on social media. .”
Gunson and his colleagues examined data from the Canadian Adolescent Health Behavior Study of approximately 2,700 adolescents and young adults from 2021 to 2022.
Additionally, their study showed that men were more likely than women to engage in cheat meals.
“Cheat meals have been conceptualized and promoted within the male muscle building and fitness community. As a result, the men in this study may have strategically used cheat meals to catalyze muscle growth.” “Similarly, among women, cheat meal use has been used to prevent or reduce episodes of binge eating and to alleviate cravings for restricted foods.” There is a possibility that
Although all cheat meals contained high-calorie items, there was a significant difference in the types of cheat meals enjoyed by men and women. Women ate more dairy, salty, and sweet foods.
“Clinical professionals should be aware of the common occurrence of cheat meals among adolescents and young adults and the sanctioned nature of these behaviors in the fitness community and on social media,” says Gunson. Future research should continue to conceptualize these types of eating behaviors and their impact on public health.”
Reference: Characterization of Cheat Meals in a National Sample of Canadian Adolescents and Young Adults, Kyle T. Gunson, Mitchell L. Cunningham, Eva Pira, Rachel F. Rogers, Stuart B. Murray, Jason M. Nagata, 2022 8 6th of month Eating Disorder Journal.
DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00642-6
