Associations Between Binge-Eating Symptoms and Chronotype Among Bariatric Surgery Candidates: Clinical Implications...

The prevalence of binge-eating behavior among individuals with obesity is reported to be higher than in the overall population. Previous studies have suggested that chronotype (more specifically, eveningness) is associated with binge-eating symptoms; however, this association remains unclear among individuals with obesity. Background/Objectives: To evaluate the association between chronotype and binge-eating symptoms in adults with severe obesity undergoing preoperative evaluation for bariatric surgery. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated 100 adults with severe obesity undergoing multidisciplinary preoperative assessment at a bariatric surgery clinic. Binge-eating symptoms were assessed using the Binge-Eating Scale. Chronotype was evaluated using the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Other sleep parameters were subjectively assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, and the Berlin questionnaire. Psychological aspects were assessed using the Depression, Stress, and Anxiety Scale (DASS-21). Results: Clinically relevant binge-eating symptoms were identified in 50% of the patients. Regarding chronotype, 16 patients were evening-types, 45 were intermediate types, and 39 were morning-types. The proportion of the clinical sample with moderate or severe binge-eating symptoms was equivalent among the three chronotypes (p = 0.794), with patients with no binge-eating symptoms accounting for around 50% of each group. There was no association between chronotype and the binge-eating score (p = 0.702). Conclusions: Despite the high prevalence of binge-eating symptoms and an overall negative sleep profile (composed of excessively daytime sleepiness, poor sleep quality, and a high risk of sleep apnea), chronotype does not appear to influence binge-eating symptoms in this clinical sample of adults with severe obesity evaluated for bariatric surgery. These findings suggest a limited utility of chronotype assessment for identifying vulnerability to binge-eating symptoms in the preoperative setting.