Characteristics of eating disorders versus disordered eating in elite athletes (reprinted with permission from The IOC Consensus Statement on Mental Health in Elite Sport5)
| Eating disorders | Disordered eating |
| Restricting, bingeing or purging often occur multiple times per week | Pathogenic behaviours used to control weight (eg, occasional restricting, use of diet pills, bingeing, purging or use of saunas or ‘sweat runs’) may occur but not with regularity |
| Obsessions with thoughts of food and eating occur much of the time | Thoughts of food and eating do not occupy most of the day |
| Eating patterns and obsessions preclude normal functioning in life activities | Functioning usually remains intact |
| Preoccupation with ‘healthy eating’ leads to significant dietary restriction | There may be preoccupation with ‘healthy eating’ or significant attention to caloric or nutritional parameters of most foods eaten but intake remains acceptable |
| Excessive exercise beyond that recommended by coaches may be explicitly used as a frequent means of purging carbs | While exercise may not be regularly used in excessive amount to purge calories, there may be a cognitive focus on burning calories when exercising |