Binge eating disorder and stress level among patients attending nutrition counseling

Introduction: binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by eating much more than what most people would eat under similar circumstances. Inability to cope with stress and emotions may be the reason for BED episodes. Objective: to assess the level of stress and BED severity based on the number of episodes of compulsive overeating among patients attending nutrition counseling. Methods: a total of 100 people (60 women and 40 men) were taking part in the study. A questionnaire in which subjects answered questions concerning diet, number of meals, and coping with stressful situations was used. A nutritional diary was used to assess the amount of BED episodes and consumed products, and the emotions felt during consumption. PSS-10 was used to measure the response to stressful situations. Results: all subjects had episodes of compulsive overeating but the majority of respondents (52 %) had no more than 3 episodes of binge eating per week. During a BED episode patients most often chose sweets (58.2 %). The main way of responding of people on stressful situations was snacking, especially sweets. Conclusions: high levels of stress correlated positively with the number of BED episodes and excessive body weight. The PSS-10 questionnaire could be a useful tool in nutrition counseling.