Executive Functions, Anthropometric Profile, and Diet: Comparisons in Adolescent Females With and Without Eating Disorder Symptoms

This study compared executive functions, anthropometric profile, and dietary habits in adolescent girls with and without eating disorder (ED) symptoms. The main objective was to determine the relationship between the presence of ED symptoms and the degree of executive function impairment. A case–control design was used with 209 Mexican adolescents who completed ED screening questionnaires. Of the total sample, 54 participants scored above the clinical cutoff, and 39 of them completed both the BANFE-2 assessment and the anthropometric measurements. These 39 adolescents with ED symptoms were matched with an equal number of adolescents without symptoms to form the control group. Additionally, 21 adolescents in the ED symptoms group and 25 in the control group completed the 24 h dietary recall and food frequency questionnaires. The main findings were as follows: the prevalence of ED symptoms was 25.8%. Adolescents with ED symptoms showed higher body mass index, waist circumference, body fat percentage, and neck circumference compared with those without symptoms. They also exhibited poorer inhibitory control, reflected in a greater number of errors, along with non-significant trends toward lower performance on the maze test, Card Sorting, and Card Game. Dietary inadequacy was also more pronounced in the ED symptoms group. Furthermore, the presence of ED symptoms significantly increased the likelihood of severe executive function impairment. In conclusion, adolescents with ED symptoms demonstrated an altered anthropometric profile, dietary deficiencies, and reduced inhibitory control.