Research
Adherence
Between 1982 and 1992, the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms (including binge eating, vomiting, and laxative use) among college students significantly decreased, while healthier eating habits (regular meal consumption) and lower dieting intensity increased.
Focus on regular meal patterns and reducing the intensity of dieting. The study shows that as dieting became less frequent and intense, and meal regularity improved, eating disorder symptoms decreased, even as average body weight increased.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Significantly fewer women and men reported symptoms of eating disorder and there was evidence of improved eating habits in terms of dietary meal regularity.
Why this rating
Longitudinal study with large sample sizes (N>1000 per wave) and consistent methodology, though self-reported.
Source
Body weight, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms among college students, 1982 to 1992
Todd F. Heatherton et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry · 1995
DOI 10.1176/ajp.152.11.1623
cohortCited 175×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →