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Dietary patterns and emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder and eating disorders as a shared mechanism underlying symptom severity
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  • Published: 22 January 2026

Dietary patterns and emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder and eating disorders as a shared mechanism underlying symptom severity

  • Emilia Kot1,
  • Ewa Skimina2,
  • Tadeusz Pietras3,
  • Joanna Gromadzka-Ostrowska4 &
  • …
  • Łukasz Mokros5 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

  • 755 Accesses

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We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Diseases
  • Health care
  • Medical research
  • Psychology

Abstract

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and eating disorders (EDs) are often comorbid and share a core feature of emotion dysregulation (EDys). While diet has been linked to mental health, its relationship with EDys and symptom severity in these groups remains understudied. This study investigated dietary intake in BPD, EDs, and their comorbidity, and examined whether EDys mediates the relationship between diet and symptom severity. Female inpatients with BPD (n = 40), ED (n = 22), and BPD with comorbid ED (BPD + ED; n = 37), along with healthy controls (HCs; n = 37) completed Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ-6), Emotion Dysregulation Scale (EDS), and clinical self-report measures. Dietary patterns differed between groups. Clinical groups consumed sources of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and Mediterranean diet (MD) foods less frequently than HCs. EDys fully mediated the link between dietary patterns and symptom severity in most models. The mediation was partial when omega-3 intake predicted ED severity in the ED group. Women with BPD and BPD + ED showed poorer diet quality, especially regarding omega-3 and MD-aligned foods. EDys mediated the association between low-quality diet and symptom severity, suggesting a transdiagnostic mechanism. Nutritional interventions may positively influence emotion regulation, thereby reducing the risk of developing and maintaining symptoms of BPD and EDs.

Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Acknowledgements

We are deeply grateful to all participants who took part in this study. We also thank the staff of the Department of Neuroses, Personality Disorders, and Eating Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, for their support during data collection.

Funding

The publication was funded by the National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, the Medical University of Lodz, the SWPS University Research Development Fund, and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Early Arthritis Clinic, National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, 1 Spartańska Street, Warsaw, 02-637, Poland

    Emilia Kot

  2. Institute of Psychology, SWPS University, 19/31 Chodakowska Street, Warsaw, 03-815, Poland

    Ewa Skimina

  3. Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lodz, 22 Kopcińskiego Street, Lodz, 90-153, Poland

    Tadeusz Pietras

  4. Department of Dietetics, Institute of Human Nutrition Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 159C Nowoursynowska Street, Warsaw, 02-776, Poland

    Joanna Gromadzka-Ostrowska

  5. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Lodz, 8/10 Czechosłowacka Street, Lodz, 92-216, Poland

    Łukasz Mokros

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  1. Emilia Kot
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  2. Ewa Skimina
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Contributions

EK contributed to the conception and design of the study, data curation, methodology, and project administration, and drafted the manuscript. EK and ES conducted the formal analysis and investigation. ES, LM, JGO, and TP supported the conceptualization and contributed to writing, review, and editing. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Łukasz Mokros.

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Kot, E., Skimina, E., Pietras, T. et al. Dietary patterns and emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder and eating disorders as a shared mechanism underlying symptom severity. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36068-2

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  • Received: 11 July 2025

  • Accepted: 09 January 2026

  • Published: 22 January 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-36068-2

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Keywords

  • Borderline personality disorder
  • Eating disorders
  • Diet
  • Food frequency
  • Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Mediterranean diet
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