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Metabolic characterization of adults with binge eating in the general population: the Framingham Heart Study
Tobin M Abraham1, Joseph M Massaro, Udo Hoffmann
1Department of Endocrinology, Hypertension and Diabetes, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute's Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Massachusetts, USA; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Objective:
To describe the metabolic profile of individuals with objective binge eating (OBE) and to evaluate whether associations between OBE and metabolic risk factors are mediated by body mass index (BMI).
Methods:
Participants from the Framingham Heart Study, Third Generation and Omni 2 cohorts (n = 3,551, 53.1% women, mean age 46.4 years) were screened for binge eating. Multivariable-adjusted regression models to examine the associations of OBE with metabolic risk factors were used.
Results:
The prevalence of OBE was 4.8% in women and 4.9% in men. Compared to non-binge eating, OBE was associated with higher odds of hypertension (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.32-2.60), hypertriglyceridemia (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.01-2.01), low HDL (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.18-2.44), insulin resistance (OR 3.18, 95% CI 2.25-4.50) and metabolic syndrome (OR 2.75, 95% CI 1.94-3.90). Fasting glucose was 7.2 mg dl(-1) higher in those with OBE (P = 0.0001). Individuals with OBE had more visceral, subcutaneous and liver fat. Most of these associations were attenuated with adjustment for BMI, with the exception of fasting glucose.
Conclusions:
Binge eating is associated with a high burden of metabolic risk factors. Much of the associated risk appears to be mediated by BMI, with the exception of fasting glucose.
