DIETING SEVERITY AND GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS IN COLLEGE-WOMEN

Young women report symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome ( TBS), such as pain, bloating, acid changes in bowel movements, more of ten than young men. Young women with eating disorders also report thes e gastrointestinal symptoms frequently. We hypothesized that if dietin g behaviors were associated with these symptoms, the prevalence and fr equency of the symptoms would be positively related to dieting severit y in young women. We interviewed 301 1st-year college women representi ng the continuum of dieting severity. We found that severity of dietin g was positively related to frequency of abdominal pain, bloating, dia rrhea, and constipation, and that the women who reported 3 or more sym ptoms regularly scored higher on a scale for dieting severity. Althoug h this study did not examine the relationship between dieting severity and clinical IBS, the findings suggested that dieting is associated w ith gastrointestinal symptoms in young women.