Binge‐eating disorder (BED) and night‐eating syndrome (NES) are two forms of disordered eating associated with overweight and obesity. While these disorders also occur in nonobese persons, they seem ...to be associated with weight gain over time and higher risk of diabetes and other metabolic dysfunction. BED and NES are also associated with higher risk of psychopathology, including mood, anxiety, and sleep problems, than those of similar weight status without disordered eating. Treatments are available, including cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy, lisdexamfetamine, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for BED; and CBT, SSRIs, progressive muscle relaxation, and bright light therapy for NES.
Eating Disorders have traditionally been considered apart from public health concerns about increasing obesity. It is evident that these problems are, however, related in important ways. Comorbid ...obesity and eating disorder is increasing at a faster rate than either obesity or eating disorders alone and one in five people with obesity also presents with an Eating Disorder, commonly but not limited to Binge Eating Disorder. New disorders have emerged such as normal weight or Atypical Anorexia Nervosa. However research and practice too often occurs in parallel with a failure to understand the weight disorder spectrum and consequences of co-morbidity that then contributes to poorer outcomes for people living with a larger size and an Eating Disorder. Urgently needed are trials that will inform more effective assessment, treatment and care where body size and eating disorder symptoms are both key to the research question.
Eating behaviours in childhood are considered as risk factors for eating disorder behaviours and diagnoses in adolescence. However, few longitudinal studies have examined this association.
We ...investigated associations between childhood eating behaviours during the first ten years of life and eating disorder behaviours (binge eating, purging, fasting and excessive exercise) and diagnoses (anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, purging disorder and bulimia nervosa) at 16 years.
Data on 4760 participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children were included. Longitudinal trajectories of parent-rated childhood eating behaviours (8 time points, 1.3-9 years) were derived by latent class growth analyses. Eating disorder diagnoses were derived from self-reported, parent-reported and objectively measured anthropometric data at age 16 years. We estimated associations between childhood eating behaviours and eating disorder behaviours and diagnoses, using multivariable logistic regression models.
Childhood overeating was associated with increased risk of adolescent binge eating (risk difference, 7%; 95% CI 2 to 12) and binge eating disorder (risk difference, 1%; 95% CI 0.2 to 3). Persistent undereating was associated with higher anorexia nervosa risk in adolescent girls only (risk difference, 6%; 95% CI, 0 to 12). Persistent fussy eating was associated with greater anorexia nervosa risk (risk difference, 2%; 95% CI 0 to 4).
Our results suggest continuities of eating behaviours into eating disorders from early life to adolescence. It remains to be determined whether childhood eating behaviours are an early manifestation of a specific phenotype or whether the mechanisms underlying this continuity are more complex. Findings have the potential to inform preventative strategies for eating disorders.
Alterations of the immune system are known in eating disorders (EDs), however the importance of cytokine balance in this context has not been clarified. We compared cytokines and growth factors at ...opposite ends of BMI ranges, in 90 patients classified in relation to BMI, depressive and EDs comorbidities. Serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were determined by a biochip analyzer (Randox Labs). Differences were calculated through ANOVA. Possible predictors of higher cytokine levels were evaluated through regression analysis. IL-1α, IL-10, EGF, and IFN-γ were altered individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and binge eating disorder (BED). Night-eating was associated with IL-8 and EGF levels, IL-10 concentrations with post-dinner eating and negatively with sweet-eating, long fasting with higher IFN-γ levels. IL-2 increase was not linked to EDs, but to the interaction of depression and BMI. Altogether, for the first time, IL-1α, IL-10, EGF, and IFN-γ were shown to differ between AN and HCs, and between AN and individuals with obesity with or without BED. Only IL-2 was influenced by depression. Dysfunctional eating behaviors predicted abnormal concentrations of IL-10, EGF, IL-8 and IFN-γ.
We examined prevalence, incidence, impairment, duration, and course for the proposed DSM-5 eating disorders in a community sample of 496 adolescent females who completed annual diagnostic interviews ...over 8 years. Lifetime prevalence by age 20 was 0.8% for anorexia nervosa (AN), 2.6% for bulimia nervosa (BN), 3.0% for binge eating disorder (BED), 2.8% for atypical AN, 4.4% for subthreshold BN, 3.6% for subthreshold BED, 3.4% for purging disorder (PD), and combined prevalence of 13.1% (5.2% had AN, BN, or BED; 11.5% had feeding and eating disorders not elsewhere classified; FED-NEC). Peak onset age was 19-20 for AN, 16-20 for BN, and 18-20 for BED, PD, and FED-NEC. Youth with these eating disorders typically reported greater functional impairment, distress, suicidality, mental health treatment, and unhealthy body mass index, though effect sizes were relatively smaller for atypical AN, subthreshold BN, and PD. Average episode duration in months ranged from 2.9 for BN to 11.2 for atypical AN. One-year remission rates ranged from 71% for atypical AN to 100% for BN, subthreshold BN, and BED. Recurrence rates ranged from 6% for PD to 33% for BED and subthrehold BED. Diagnostic progression from subthreshold to threshold eating disorders was higher for BN and BED (32% and 28%) than for AN (0%), suggesting some sort of escalation mechanism for binge eating. Diagnostic crossover was greatest from BED to BN. Results imply that the new DSM-5 eating disorder criteria capture clinically significant psychopathology and usefully assign eating disordered individuals to homogeneous diagnostic categories.
The role of mindfulness, mindful eating and a newer concept of intuitive eating in modulating eating habits is an area of increasing interest. In this structured literature review, a summary of the ...current evidence is presented, together with details of interventions undertaken and the tools to measure outcomes. It is broad in scope given the emerging evidence base in this area. The review yielded sixty-eight publications: twenty-three interventions in obese/overweight populations; twenty-nine interventions in normal-weight populations; sixteen observational studies, three of which were carried out in overweight/obese populations. Mindfulness-based approaches appear most effective in addressing binge eating, emotional eating and eating in response to external cues. There is a lack of compelling evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness and mindful eating in weight management. Mindfulness-based approaches may prevent weight gain. Reduced food intake was seen in some of the studies in overweight and obese populations, but this was less apparent in the studies in normal-weight populations. The evidence base for intuitive eating is limited to date and further research is needed to examine its potential in altering eating behaviours. Mindfulness appears to work by an increased awareness of internal, rather than external, cues to eat. Mindfulness and mindful eating have the potential to address problematic eating behaviours and the challenges many face with controlling their food intake. Encouraging a mindful eating approach would seem to be a positive message to be included in general weight management advice to the public.
Purpose
Binge eating disorder (BED), bulimia nervosa (BN) and recurrent binge eating (RBE) are binge eating spectrum conditions causing a significant impact in individual’s health and functioning. ...Information regarding those conditions came mostly from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of DSM-5 BED, BN and RBE and correlates in a representative sample from a metropolitan area of a middle-income country.
Methods
The data were obtained from a cross-sectional population-based household survey in two stages in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Noninstitutionalized residents aged 18–60 years were assessed by lay interviewers using the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns-5 (QEWP-5). Positive cases and a paired sample screen-negative cases were reassessed by phone with the Eating Disorders Section of SCID-I-P (adapted for DSM-5). The data were collected from September 2019 to February 2020.
Results
Overall, 2297 individuals were interviewed. Prevalence of BED was 1.4%, BN 0.7%, RBE 6.2%. Psychiatric comorbidities, such as depression, anxiety and ADHD were significantly more prevalent in people with BED, BN and RBE than in people without these eating problems. Several medical conditions, when controlling for body mass index, were significantly more prevalent in people with BED, BN and RBE. People with BED and BN had marked impairments in work/school, social and family life, reduced mental and physical HRQoL and under half had sought treatment.
Conclusion
As in high income countries, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, BED, BN and RBE are prevalent conditions and are associated with elevated BMI, functional impairment, psychiatric and medical comorbidity and poorer HRQoL.
Weight stigma is a pervasive social problem, and this paper reviews the evidence linking weight stigma to eating behavior. Correlational studies consistently find that experiences with weight stigma ...are associated with unhealthy eating behaviors and eating pathology (such as binge eating, skipping meals), although results vary somewhat depending on the sample being studied and the specific stigma/eating constructs being assessed. Experimental studies consistently find that manipulations such as priming overweight stereotypes, exposure to stigmatizing content, and social exclusion all lead to increased food intake, but whether or not those manipulations capture the impact of weight stigma experiences per se is less clear. Finally, studies of stigma experiences in daily life show that more frequent stigma experiences are associated with decreased motivation to diet and with less healthy eating behaviors. Overall, this research highlights the potential for weight stigma to negatively impact individuals' eating behavior, which in turn could have consequences for their overall health and well-being.
While many aspects of eating disorders remain a mystery, there is growing evidence that collaboration is an essential element for treatment success. This book emphasises and explains the importance ...of family involvement as part of a unified team approach towards treatment and recovery.
A Collaborative Approach to Eating Disorders draws on up-to-date evidence based research as well as case studies and clinical vignettes to illustrate the seriousness of eating disorders and the impact on both the sufferer and their loved ones. Areas of discussion include:
current research including genetic factors, socio-cultural influences and early intervention
clinical applications such as family based dialectical and cognitive behavioural treatments
treatment developments for both adolescents and adults with a range of eating disorders
building collaborative alliances at all levels for treatment and ongoing recovery.
With contributions from key international figures in the field, this book will be a valuable resource for students and mental health professionals including family doctors, clinicians, nurses, family therapists, dieticians and social workers.
Because no single report has examined risk factors that predict future onset each type of eating disorder and core symptom dimensions that crosscut disorders, we addressed these aims to advance ...knowledge regarding risk factor specificity. Data from 3 prevention trials that targeted young women with body dissatisfaction (N = 1,272; Mage = 18.5, SD = 4.2) and collected annual diagnostic interview data over 3-year follow-up were combined to identify predictors of subthreshold/threshold anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), and purging disorder (PD). Negative affect and functional impairment predicted onset of all eating disorders. Thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, dieting, overeating, and mental health care predicted onset of subthreshold/threshold BN, BED, and PD; positive thinness expectations, denial of cost of pursuing the thin ideal, and fasting predicted onset of 2 of these 3 disorders. Similar risk factors predicted core eating disorder symptom onset. Low BMI and dieting specifically predicted onset of subthreshold/threshold AN or low BMI. Only a subset of factors showed unique predictive effects in multivariate models, likely due to moderate correlations between the risk factors (M r = .14). Results provide support for the theory that pursuit of the thin ideal and the resulting body dissatisfaction, dieting, and unhealthy weight control behaviors increase risk for binge/purge spectrum eating disorders, but suggest that youth who are inherently lean, rather than purposely pursuing the thin ideal, are at risk for AN. Impaired interpersonal functioning and negative affect are transdiagnostic risk factors, suggesting these factors should be targeted in prevention programs.
General Scientific Summary
Findings suggest that pursuit of the thin beauty ideal and the resulting body dissatisfaction and weight control behaviors increase risk for developing eating disorders involving binge eating and unhealthy weight control behaviors, but that inherently lean young women, rather than those purposely pursuing the thin ideal, are at risk for eating disorders involving a dangerously low body weight. Findings also suggest that negative affect and impaired interpersonal functioning are transdiagnostic factors that increase risk for the full spectrum of eating disorders.