SynthesisEuropean eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association2025
Associations Between the Use of Fitness and Diet Tracking Technology and Disordered Eating Behaviour: A Systematic Review.
Synthesis in European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Associations Between the Use of Fitness and Diet Tracking Technology and Disordered Eating Behaviour: A Systematic Review.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025Pooled it
- Detecting Binge Eating Risk With Naturalistic Data and Machine Learning: A Comparative Observational Study.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Observational
- Perspectives on Remote Monitoring via Smartphones and Wearables Among Individuals With Lived Experience or at Risk of Eating Disorders ("This Could Go Very, Very Wrong"): Qualitative Interview Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe fitness and wellbeing technology industry is growing rapidly. Concerns are emerging regarding whether these may increase disordered eating behaviours. This review is the first to systematically examine the relationship between fitness and diet tracker use and disordered eating in general and clinical populations.
methodsThe following databases were searched: EMBASE, Medline/PubMed, PsychInfo, CINAHL Plus, ERIC, SportDiscus, ASSIA, Social Science Premium, Sociological Abstracts, Sports Medicine and Educational Health, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses Global. Studies were selected using predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A narrative synthesis was used, and results were reported by disordered eating outcome.
resultsTwenty-seven studies were included in the final review. Cross-sectional studies revealed reasonably consistent evidence of an association between disordered eating and fitness and diet tracker use, specifically regarding global disordered eating, dietary restraint, excessive exercise, and disordered muscle-orientated behaviour. However, this association was not replicated in experimental research.
conclusionWhile fitness and diet tracker use is a correlate of disordered eating, it is currently not possible to conclude if they increase disordered eating, or the direction of this relationship. Future research should determine the nature of this relationship and possible mechanisms to ensure their safe use in vulnerable populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.