Becoming preoccupied with clean eating can be a problem, says a university researcher in Nanaimo.

Isabelle Desrosiers, a Vancouver Island University psychology major graduate, conducted research into the "often-overlooked eating disorder known as orthorexia nervosa, where a person will obsess over the concept of only eating 'pure' or 'healthy' foods," a VIU press release stated.

Concerns about the disorder aren't always related to loss of weight, but also mental and health issues that can arise from rigid eating regimens, the release noted.

Desrosiers said "extreme health habits can be just as harmful as unhealthy ones." Her interest in the subject matter was piqued as she grew up among elite athletes and saw first-hand the difference between eating healthy and having strict, unhealthy

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