Does binge-eating matter for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes patients?

Eating behavior is an important aspect related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatment and may have an impact on glycemic control. Previous reports showed elevated prevalence of eating disordered behaviors, especially binge eating disorder in clinical samples of type 2 diabetes patients. However, results regarding the impact of an eating disorder on the glycemic and clinical control of T2DM is inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a comorbid eating disorder on glycemic control (GC) in a group of patients with T2DM.

Eating behaviors of 70 consecutive patients with T2DM were assessed using a Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and the Binge Eating Scale. The GC was examined with fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (A1c) levels. In addition, secondary clinical variables were assessed, including body mass index (BMI) and lipids. Chi-square and Student's T tests were used to compare clinical and psychopathological characteristics of patients with and without an ED. In order to evaluate the relationship between GC and eating disorder (ED) a linear regression analysis was performed, controlling for BMI. A significance level of 5% was adopted.

Seventy-seven percent of the sample (n = 54) were female and 50% were obese. Fourteen patients exhibited an ED, mostly binge eating disorder (BED). In a regression analysis, both FBG (beta coefficient = 47.4 (22.3); p = 0.037) and A1c (beta coefficient = 1.12 (0.57); p = 0.05) were predicted by the presence of an ED. However, the presence of an ED lost its impact on glycemic control outcomes after the addition of the BMI in the models.

Eating psychopathology is frequently observed in patients with T2DM. Among individuals with T2DM, co-morbid ED is associated with a poorer glycemic control in the presence of a higher BMI. The presence of an eating disordered behavior in patients with T2DM seems to have clinical relevance in the usual care of patients with diabetes. Therefore, we recommend eating psychopathology should be routinely assessed in T2DM patients.