Binge eating behavior in patients with eating disorders

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Eating Disorders Research

Background:

• Bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) are characterized by recurrent binge eating episodes.
• Obesity is a common comorbidity with BED, necessitating research into behavioral differences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare objectively observed binge eating behaviors in obese subjects with BED to those with BN.
• To investigate the influence of meal composition (single- vs. multiple-item) on binge eating in different groups.

Main Methods:

• Participants included non-obese patients with BN, obese subjects with BED, and obese/non-obese controls without eating disorders.
• Subjects were instructed to consume single-item (ice cream) and multiple-item meals designed to elicit binge eating.
• Caloric intake during binge eating episodes was objectively measured.

Main Results:

• In multiple-item meals, obese BED subjects consumed more calories than obese controls but less than BN patients.
• In single-item meals, BN patients consumed significantly more than all other groups.
• Obese subjects with or without BED consumed more during single-item meals than non-obese controls.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative differences in binge eating exist between BN and BED, despite shared diagnostic criteria.
• External cues may differentially affect eating behavior in obese individuals with and without BED.
• Findings suggest distinct patterns of disinhibition/inhibition related to external stimuli in BED.