Risk Factors for Eating Disorders and Perception of Body in Young Adults Associated with Sex.

(1) Background: The integrated approach to the prevention and treatment of eating disorders (EDs) requires knowledge and can be used only when specific risk factors are known. The aim of this study was to examine the differences in food choices and eating behavior between males and females; (2) Methods: This study comprised 148 females and 27 males aged from 18 to 26-years-old (MEAN ± SD = 21.4 ± 1.86 years old). Information about EDs was obtained from four different measures: the body mass index (BMI), the eating disorder screen for primary care (ESP), a standardized and validated questionnaire called "My Eating Habits" and the food frequency questionnaire with 10 answers (FFQ-10); (3) Results: The risk for developing eating disorders was detected in nearly 67% of respondents. It was also shown that EDs were more common in females and how body weight affected the way individuals feel about themselves. Females showed more unhealthy eating habits, which contributed to dietary restrictions and emotional overeating, as they were also afraid of gaining weight. The frequency of eating meat and drinking alcohol was higher in males, whereas eating legume seeds was less frequent in females. (4) Conclusions: This study opens a new field, which will help health care professionals recognize the problems with eating disorders and treat them based on different sex characteristics.

Weight Bias During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review explores potential sources of weight bias and stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic, including "quarantine-15" messages and discussion of obesity in media and public health campaigns. We examine evidence of the effects of weight bias on well-being during the pandemic and highlight unanswered questions to be addressed in future research. RECENT FINDINGS: Studies that have investigated weight change during stay-at-home orders have yielded mixed findings and relied predominantly on self-reported retrospective recall, thus providing weak evidence of a widespread "quarantine-15" effect. No studies to date have evaluated the effects on weight stigma and health of obesity-focused COVID-19 media and public health messages. Individuals with a history of experiencing weight bias may be more vulnerable to binge eating and psychological distress during the pandemic. Weight bias and stigma during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their effects on health and well-being, warrant greater investigation and consideration in public health efforts.

Psychological risk indicators of disordered eating in athletes.

OBJECTIVES: This project examined risk factors of disordered eating in athletes by adapting and applying a theoretical model. It tested a previously proposed theoretical model and explored the utility of a newly formed model within an athletic population across gender, age, and sport type to explain disordered eating. DESIGN: The design was cross-sectional and the first phase in a series of longitudinal studies. METHODS: 1,017 athletes completed online questionnaires related to social pressures, internalisation, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, restriction, and bulimia. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the fit of the measurement and structural models and to do invariance testing. RESULTS: The original theoretical model failed to achieve acceptable goodness of fit (χ2 [70, 1017] = 1043.07; p < .0001. CFI = .55; GFI = .88; NFI = .53; RMSEA = .12 [90% CI = .111-.123]). Removal of non-significant pathways and addition of social media resulted in the model achieving a parsimonious goodness of fit (χ2 [19, 1017] = 77.58; p < .0001. CFI = .96; GFI = .98; NFI = .95; RMSEA = .055 [90% CI = .043-.068]). Invariance tests revealed that the newly revised model differed across gender, age, level, competition status, and length of sport participation. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the formation of disordered eating symptomology might not be associated with sport pressures experienced by athletes. It revealed that disordered eating development varies across gender, competition level, sport type, and age, which must be considered to prevent and treat disordered eating in athletes.

Mindfulness in Eating Is Inversely Related to Binge Eating and Mood Disturbances in University Students in Health-Related Disciplines.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between mindful eating, disordered eating and mood in university students in health-related disciplines. A total of 221 university students participated in the study; 102 students studied sport and exercise science (SS), 54 students pharmacy sciences (PS), and 65 students health sciences (HS). Participants completed the Binge Eating Scale (BES), the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), and the Profile of Mood State questionnaire (POMS). 41% of the students were classified as binge eaters and 57% were above the POMS threshold of depression. Binge eaters were found to have significantly lower MEQ score and significantly higher total mood disturbance scores (TMD) compared to non-binge eaters (p < 0.01). Students with a high depression score exhibited no differences in the MEQ score but a significantly higher BES score compared to non-depressed students (p < 0.01). Gender differences were found in the MEQ with females exhibiting significantly higher scores in the MEQ score and in all MEQ subscales compared to males, with the exception of the emotional subscale that females were noted to have a lower score compared to males (p < 0.01). The MEQ score was inversely related to the BES score (r = -0.30, p < 0.01) and TMD (r = -0.21, p < 0.05). The MEQ score was a significant negative predictor of the variance of the binge eating behavior of the students (B = -3.17, p < 0.001). In conclusion, mindfulness in eating is inversely related to the binge eating behavior and mood state of university students studying health-related subjects and is a significant negative predictor of disordered eating behavior in this high risk population.

A model of emotional stress-induced binge eating in female mice with no history of food restriction.

Overeating is a major contributing factor to obesity and related health complications. For women, in particular, negative emotions such as stress strongly influence eating behavior and bingeing episodes. Modeling this type of binge eating in rodents presents challenges: firstly, stress-induced anorexia is commonly observed in rodents therefore a mild stressor is required in order to observe an orexigenic effect. Second, many studies report using calorie restriction to observe the required behavior; yet this does not necessarily reflect the human condition. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a model of emotional stress-induced bingeing independent of caloric restriction. Female and male C57BL/6J mice were divided into ad libitum (n = 20 per sex) and food-restricted (n = 20 per sex) groups which were both further split into a control group and a group exposed to frustration stress (n = 10 per group). All mice were provided intermittent access to a highly palatable food in 2 cycles. At the end of each cycle the stress group was subjected to a 15-minute frustration episode where highly palatable food was within the home cage but inaccessible. Both groups were then given free access for 15 minutes. Frustrated female mice from the ad libitum displayed binge-like behavior compared with controls (P = .0001). Notably, this behavior was absent in males. Ovariectomy had no impact on binge-like behavior. Collectively, these data validate a novel model of emotional stress-induced binge eating specific to female mice which does not require caloric restriction and is not driven by ovarian hormones.

Loss of Control Eating and Binge Eating in the 7 Years Following Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Although bariatric surgery is an effective intervention for severe obesity, a subset of patients demonstrates suboptimal weight outcomes. Postoperative loss of control eating (LOCE) and binge eating may influence weight outcomes, though research has not examined differences by surgical procedure, or factors that predict postoperative LOCE. This study aimed to [1] characterize LOCE and binge eating disorder (BED) over a 7-year period following bariatric surgery; [2] examine concurrent, prospective, and cumulative relationships between LOCE and weight loss; [3] assess whether these associations are moderated by surgery type; and [4] evaluate predictors of LOCE. METHODS: Participants were 2156 patients who underwent laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) or Roux-n-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in the multi-center Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery-2 (LABS-2) study. Generalized linear mixed models examined relationships between LOCE and percent weight loss and predictors of LOCE. RESULTS: LOCE and BED initially declined then increased after surgery, with a notable number of de-novo cases (25.6% and 4.8%, respectively). LOCE was related to less concurrent but not prospective or cumulative percent weight loss. Self-monitoring of eating, higher daily eating frequency, older age, male gender, and higher self-esteem were associated with a lower likelihood of LOCE. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that LOCE and binge eating are clinically relevant behaviors that may impede weight loss, and findings highlight the importance of ongoing assessment of maladaptive eating following surgery.

Mental nerve injury induces novelty seeking behaviour leading to increasing ethanol intake in Wistar rats.

OBJECTIVE: Dental treatment and orofacial surgeries may induce chronic neuropathic orofacial pain (CNOP). This kind of pain affects adaptability to environmental changes in both model animals and humans. Part of the adaptation process depends on the ability to distinguish between familiar and novel stimuli. CNOP induces novelty seeking behaviour as a deficit in environmental adaptation. Alternatively, novelty seeking is a sign for susceptibility to the development of substance abuse. Evidence shows that CNOP leads to alcoholism in animal models. The behavioural relationship between CNOP, novelty seeking behaviour and substance abuse is unknown. In this article, we investigate if CNOP produces an increase in novelty seeking and leads to increasing ethanol intake. DESIGN: Firstly, we used mental nerve injury as a neuropathic orofacial pain model to evaluate both thermal and mechanical allodynia. We used the novel recognition task to determine novelty seeking behaviour and the drink in darkness protocol to assess ethanol intake. RESULTS: Our results show that mental nerve constriction increases novelty seeking behaviour (p = 0.01) and correlates with ethanol binge consumption (r2 = 0.68, p = 0.0008). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates, for the first time, that trigeminal nerve injury, which induces CNOP, is enough to provide novelty seeking behaviour and lead to increasing ethanol intake. The increase of novelty seeking behaviour can serve as a predictor of risk of developing substance abuse. The treatment of CNOP involves a high risk of producing addiction. The level of novelty seeking evaluation in patients with neuropathic pain before treatment is critical.

DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, AND BINGE EATING BEFORE AND AFTER BARIATRIC SURGERY: PROBLEMS THAT REMAIN.

BACKGROUND: As the number of surgeries increases and the elapsed time of the realization increases as well, the postoperative evaluations would become increasingly necessary. AIM: To assess the psychological profile before and after surgery. METHODS: Were evaluated 281 patients from the public service of bariatric surgery. In this study, 109 patients completed the evaluations before surgery (T0) and up to 23 months after surgery (T1); 128 completed the evaluations in T0 and between 24 months and 59 months after surgery (T2); and 44 completed the evaluations in T0 and 60 months after surgery (T3). A semi-structured interview, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety (BAI), and the Binge Eating Scale (BES) were used. RESULTS: There was a higher prevalence of female (83%), patients with less than 12 years of education (83%), and patients who have a partner (64%). Analyzing all times of evaluation, regarding anxiety, depression, and binge eating, there was a reduction in all symptoms in T1, pointing to significant improvements in the first 23 months after surgery. Already, in T2 and T3, there was an increase in all indicators of anxiety, depression, and binge eating pointing to the transient impact of weight loss or bariatric surgery on these symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the importance of the continuous psychological evaluation and needs for the appropriate interventions for these patients who have undergone bariatric surgery, even after weight loss.

Psychological, behavioral, and weight-related aspects of patients undergoing reoperative bariatric surgery after gastric band: comparison with primary surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Patients experiencing insufficient weight loss or weight regain in their first bariatric surgery may represent a high-risk group with greater problematic eating and general psychopathology levels, which may compromise the success of a reoperative procedure. OBJECTIVES: This study seeks to describe and compare disordered eating-related psychological and behavioral features of primary and reoperative surgery candidates after gastric band. SETTING: Hospital center and university in Portugal. METHODS: The baseline (preoperative) data from a longitudinal observational study are presented. Patients were interviewed by trained psychologists to identify binge-eating episodes and grazing and responded to a set of self-report measures: disordered eating, grazing, negative urgency, depression, anxiety, and stress. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-five patients were undergoing primary surgery, and 166 were undergoing reoperative (REOP group) surgery. The groups did not differ in body mass index preoperatively, but the REOP group had greater weight suppression (t387 = -5.35, P = .001), higher highest (t387 = -3.40, P = .001) and lower lowest body mass index (t381 = 2.22, P = .03). The main reasons for reoperative surgery were weight regain/poor weight loss (42.8%) or medical complications (32.5%). REOP patients with objective binge eating reported a higher frequency of these episodes (t47 = 2.15, P = .04). No significant difference was found for the self-report measures assessed (only shape concern was higher for REOP group, F1,216 = 8.30, P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the preoperative similarities between patients undergoing reoperative or primary surgeries, the differences in binge eating and weight-related variables may associate with postoperative difficulties. The link between binge eating, weight suppression, and weight gain found in other samples suggests that patients undergoing reoperative surgery may be at increased risk for poor weight outcomes.

The Overlap Between Binge Eating Behaviors and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: An Etiological Integrative Model.

Studies indicate that Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) features (e.g. insulin instability, food cravings, overproduction of androgens and menstrual irregularities) are associated with increased appetite, impaired impulse control and feelings of body dissatisfaction. Counter intuitively, binge eating behaviors have been shown to reinforce PCOS symptomatology, precipitating concurrently body dissatisfaction, weight gain, insulin instability and overproduction of androgens. The present systematic literature review aspires to investigate the relationship between binge eating, in the broader context of eating disorder behaviors, and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), taking into account shared characteristics between EDs (Eating Disorders) and PCOS. To address this aim, the PRISMA guidelines are adopted. A total of 21 studies, which investigated the presence of binge eating in PCOS population and the presence of PCOS in EDs population, were synthesized. Findings suggested that an increased prevalence of binge eating has been reported in women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS); and that women suffering from BN (Bulimia Nervosa) and BED (Binge Eating Disorder) are more likely to display polycystic ovaries. Further research on their shared liability is required in order to inform more efficient prevention and treatment initiatives for populations presenting with comorbid features.