Dietary Patterns, Eating Disorder Risk, Emotional Distress, and Amino Acid Intake in Adults Seeking Weight Loss

Background: Diet quality and amino acid intake influence both physical health and psychological well-being, potentially affecting eating disorder risk. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dietary patterns, amino acid intake, and eating disorder risk. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 130 adults with overweight or obesity. All participants were assessed for eating disorder risk and body image distortion. Dietary intake was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Principal Component Analysis was performed to identify major dietary patterns, and logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of eating disorder risk in relation to dietary pattern adherence and specific amino acid intake. Results: Six major dietary patterns were identified; among these, the mixed Mediterranean-like and Comfort Food patterns showed significant associations with eating disorder risk. Greater adherence to the mixed Mediterranean-like pattern was associated with lower odds of eating disorder risk (OR = 0.60; 95% CI: 0.39–0.93; p = 0.023). Conversely, adherence to the Comfort Food pattern, characterized by sweets, milk, and dairy products, showed a trend toward higher odds of eating disorder risk (OR = 1.49; 95% CI: 0.99–2.23; p = 0.05) and body image distortion (OR = 1.70; 95% CI: 1.03–2.79; p = 0.03). Regarding amino acid intake, higher consumption of glutamic acid and glycine was associated with a lower eating disorder risk, whereas higher leucine intake was associated with higher eating disorder risk. Conclusions: Dietary patterns are associated with eating disorder risk and body image distortion. A mixed Mediterranean-like dietary pattern may have protective effects, whereas greater adherence to a Comfort Food pattern and higher intake of specific amino acids may increase the risk of eating disorders. However, further clinical studies are needed to confirm our findings.