Childhood dietary intake: Comparison between anorexia nervosa and healthy leanness

Background The number of adolescent patients with anorexia nervosa is increasing. In addition, an increase in pre‐adolescent patients with premenarchal onset has also been recognized. Detection of the disease in childhood and adolescence, however, is not always easy because the symptoms are not characteristic during this period. This study was performed to investigate detection of anorexia nervosa in children/adolescents by comparing energy and nutrient intake between patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy thin persons. Methods The subjects consisted of 13 girls aged 14.4 ± 3.5 years with anorexia nervosa and 320 healthy girls aged 12.4 ± 1.3 years. Dietary intake was evaluated using a validated diet history questionnaire designed for children/adolescents. Daily energy and nutrient intake were expressed as a percentage of the age‐ and sex‐matched reference amount. Results Healthy lean (body mass index [BMI],