A systematic review of binge eating, loss of control eating, and weight loss in children and adolescents

Abstract

Pediatric obesity is a global health concern. Rates of obesity in pediatric populations remain high in developed countries such as the United States and Canada, with prevalence rates of 18.5% and 13.1%, respectively (1). This is of particular importance because of the association of pediatric obesity with metabolic syndrome, inflammation, and a variety of other comorbidities (2). Current weightmanagement treatments for pediatric patients include behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy, and bariatric surgery (3). These treatments can help patients lose weight. However, there has been concern that, in children and adolescents, they may promote or worsen disordered eating behaviors, such as binge eating (BE) and loss of control eating (LOC) (4). Several mechanisms have been proposed that may underlie this relationship (5). High levels of rigid dietary restraint have been identified as a central risk and maintaining factor of BE. Dieting may result in hunger and associated physiological responses, which may contribute to BE. In some individuals, externally or self-imposed dietary rules may be strict and increasingly difficult to sustain over the long term. The inevitable breaking of these rules may induce an all-or-none reaction, resulting in BE (i.e., the abstinence violation effect).BE is reported by 20% to 35% of youth seeking weight loss (6). BE is defined as "the subjective experience of loss of control while eating a reportedly objectively large amount of food" (7).In 2013, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) added binge eating disorder (BED) as an independent diagnosis for those who have recurrent BE episodes while

Benefits of Exercise in Multidisciplinary Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder in Adolescents with Obesity

“…Indeed, in their meta-analysis, He et al indicated that BED or LOC eating was prevalent (i.e., slightly over a quarter of the population) among children and adolescents that were overweight or obese [ 37 ]. These results were confirmed by He et al, who estimated the prevalence of binge eating and LOC eating to be 26.3% in children and adolescents affected by being overweight or obese, and recently verified by Moustafa et al, who estimated rates of LOC eating episodes at about 31.2% in overweight youth [ 36 ]. Both BED and LOC eating are more prevalent in children and adolescents that are overweight compared to peers with normal weight [ 34 ].…”

“…The term LOC eating is used to describe episodes with LOC, where the amount eaten is either not defined or not objectively large [ 34 ]. This term is extremely useful in children and adolescents, as it is challenging to define “a large amount of food” for them when considering possibilities such as increases in calories related to growth spurts [ 36 ]. The LOC eating episodes can be further subdivided into subjective binge episodes (SBEs), in which the individual experiences a loss of control and does not consume an objectively large amount of food, and objective binge episodes (OBEs), in which the patient experiences both a loss of control and consumes an objectively large amount of food [ 36 ].…”

“…Psychological factors include anxiety, guilt, shame and fatigue [ 59 , 68 ]; on the other hand, physical factors include feelings of fullness or sickness [ 59 , 68 ]. In addition to immediate consequences, binge eating was also significantly related to emotional/behavioral functioning, health-related quality of life, and physical dysfunctions in the long term [ 31 , 36 , 69 , 70 , 71 ]. Interestingly, Pasold et al evaluated 102 adolescents that were overweight, aged 12–17 years, and analyzed their height, weight, and self-reported questionnaire data on emotional and behavioral functioning [ 69 ].…”

“…There is a wealth of literature [ 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 ] focused on the effectiveness of MT in children and adolescents affected by obesity, particularly in reducing BMI and the risk of future comorbidities [ 83 , 95 ]. Conversely, despite the close relationship between obesity and eating disorders, only a few studies have considered the effect of MT on the development, progression, or reduction of eating disorder symptoms in children and adolescents that are overweight or obese [ 6 , 33 , 36 , 37 , 83 ].…”

“…Moustafa et al [ 36 ] analyzed the association between MT and binge eating (BE) and LOC in youth with obesity in 29 studies. The overall results showed a significant decrease in BE and LOC after interventions [ 36 ].…”