A Narrative Review of Assessing Veganism Characteristics in Research on Veganism and Eating Pathology

Research on the relationship between veganism and eating pathology has been limited, with variable findings, impeding adequate knowledge for clinical decision-making for vegans presenting to eating disorder treatment. This narrative review assessed research to date on the circumstances of veganism (e.g., rationale for veganism, duration of veganism) as they relate to the relationship between veganism and eating pathology. The review included published studies available in PubMed or PsycINFO databases that used terms “vegan” and “disordered eating” or any eating disorder, and that included a specific vegan sample or subsample. The search criteria resulted in 25 eligible studies that two independent coders reviewed to report study and sample characteristics, definitions of veganism, and details of veganism. Results indicated that 76% of studies reported on the rationale of veganism of participants, but only 52% of these conducted analyses related to veganism rationale, and only 32% of these allowed for participants to report multiple rationales. Additionally, only 16% of studies reported analyses that included the duration of veganism of participants. Those few studies generally found that longer durations and ethical motives were associated with less eating pathology than shorter durations and other motives for veganism. Preliminary results indicate that both the rationale for veganism and duration of veganism have significant implications for the relationship between veganism and eating pathology, yet these are frequently not assessed or reported. It is recommended that researchers collect these details of veganism and further analyze how the characteristics of veganism relate to eating pathology.