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Is there harm in behavioral lifestyle weight management for binge-eating disorder in patients with obesity: Findings from a randomized controlled trial

  • 0Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, New Haven, CT. USA. Electronic address: carlos.grilo@yale.edu.
Journal of psychosomatic research +

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June 14, 2025

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

Trials of behavioral lifestyle weight management (BLWM) for binge-eating disorder (BED) with obesity have documented significant broad benefits. Heated debate has surfaced concerning whether BLWM interventions might exacerbate eating-disorder psychopathology and therefore be contraindicated for patients with BED. This secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) testing BLWM examined heterogeneity of outcomes to identify frequency of individuals who experienced increased symptoms.

METHODS

Sixty-nine participants with BED with obesity in an RCT were assessed for binge-eating, eating-disorder psychopathology, and weight at baseline and posttreatment. Thirty-four were randomized to placebo and 35 to BLWM+placebo. Changes were examined at the individual level to identify cases of any increased features.

RESULTS

At posttreatment, 3.7 % (N = 1) of participants in BLWM+placebo versus 17 % (N = 5) in placebo reported increased binge-eating frequency, and 7.4 % (N = 2) versus 18 % (N = 5) had increased eating-disorder psychopathology. Overall, a total of 7.4 % (N = 2) of participants who received BLWM+placebo had any increase on binge-eating and/or eating-disorder psychology (one participant increased both). Increased symptoms had mostly small magnitudes and did not differ significantly between interventions.

CONCLUSION

In this controlled trial for BED with obesity, the frequency of cases with any increased symptoms of binge eating and/or eating-disorder psychopathology was rare, most increases had small magnitudes, and rates did not differ significantly between BLWM+placebo versus placebo. While any worsening in even one individual is not an optimal outcome, these participant-level findings for patients with BED with obesity address concerns that BLWM exacerbates eating-disorder psychopathology and provide further clinical context regarding overall effectiveness of BLWM.

CLINICALTRIALS

govregistration:NCT03045341 (Behavioral and Pharmacologic Treatment of Binge Eating and Obesity: Acute Treatment).

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