Night time eating: a review of the literature

Zwaan, Martina de; Burgard, Melissa; Schenck, Carlos H.; Mitchell, James E.

doi:10.1002/erv.501

Cited by 74 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…This idea is indirectly supported by the long history of unsuccessful weight loss attempts usually reported by night eaters. 32 The few available data indicate a potential beneficial effect of sertraline, 33 cognitive behavior therapy 34 and relaxation training, 35 but we still lack large randomized trials to evaluate the role of these procedures in the management of NES associated with morbid obesity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

2009

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Objective: To investigate the relationship of metabolic disorders and psychological features with the night eating syndrome (NES) in individuals with moderate-to-severe obesity. Design: Cross-sectional observation. Subjects: A total of 266 consecutive participants with class II-III obesity, entering an inpatient weight loss program. Measurements: Participants who reported consuming either a large amount of their caloric intake after the evening meal (roughly self-assessed as X25% of daily calories) or the presence of nocturnal feeding at the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) (N ¼ 49) were interviewed by the Night Eating Syndrome History and Inventory (NESHI). Assessment also included the clinical/ biochemical parameters of the metabolic syndrome and several questionnaires of psychopathology. NES was diagnosed by NESHI criteria (evening hyperphagia (X25% of daily food intake after the evening meal) and/or waking at night to eat at least three times a week) in the last 3 months. Results: Twenty-seven participants (10.1%) met NESHI criteria. Differences were not observed between participants with and without NES as to age, body mass index (BMI), prevalence of metabolic syndrome, Binge Eating Scale and Body Shape Questionnaire. NES participants had significantly higher scores of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Impact of Weight on Quality of Life (IWQOL). Among NES cases, the BDI score was indicative of moderate depression in 18.5% of cases and of severe depression in 44.4%. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for confounders, identified the BDI score as the only variable significantly associated with the diagnosis of NES. Conclusion: Diagnosing NES does not help identify obese individuals with specific medical complications, but indicates more severe psychological distress and depression.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

2009

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“…Studies of NES have employed variations of these criteria (see de Zwaan, Burgard, Schenck, & Mitchell, 2003 for review), including the use of different cut-times for evening hyperphagia: 7 pm (Cerú-Björk, Andersson, & Rössner, 2001;Striegel-Moore, Franko, Thompson, Affenito, & Kraemer, 2006;Stunkard et al, 1996), after the evening meal (Birketvedt et al, 1999, Marshall, Allison, O'Reardon, Birketvedt, & Stunkard, 2004O'Reardon et al, 2004), after 11pm (Striegel-Moore et al, 2006), and simply, evening eating (Kuldau & Rand, 1986;Rand et al, 1997). The proportion of calories used to define evening hyperphagia has also varied by study, from 25% (Stunkard et al, 1955, Allison, Grilo, Masheb, & Stunkard, 2005 to 50% (Birketvedt et al, 1999;Stunkard et al, 1996), to simply overeating or excessive eating during the evening (Kuldau & Rand, 1986;Rand, MacGreggor, & Stunkard, 1997).…”

Section: Nih Public Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome using item response theory analysis

et al. 2008

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Uniform diagnostic criteria for the night eating syndrome (NES), a disorder characterized by a delay in the circadian pattern of eating, have not been established. Proposed criteria for NES were evaluated using item response theory (IRT) analysis. Six studies yielded 1,481 Night Eating Questionnaires which were coded to reflect the presence/absence of five night eating symptoms. Symptoms were evaluated based on the clinical usefulness of their diagnostic information and on the assumptions of IRT analysis (unidimensionality, monotonicity, local item independence, correct model specification), using a two parameter logistic (2PL) IRT model. Reports of (1) nocturnal eating and/ or evening hyperphagia, (2) initial insomnia, and (3) night awakenings showed high precision in discriminating those with night eating problems, while morning anorexia and delayed morning meal provided little additional information. IRT is a useful tool for evaluating the diagnostic criteria of psychiatric disorders and can be used to evaluate potential diagnostic criteria of NES empirically. Behavioral factors were identified as useful discriminators of NES. Future work should also examine psychological factors in conjunction with those identified here. KeywordsIRT; diagnosis; Night Eating Questionnaire; nocturnal ingestions; evening hyperphagia; eating disorder Original criteria for the night eating syndrome (NES) were based on a patient in whom the disorder was first noted and the subsequent treatment of 25 obese persons referred to a Special Study Clinic because of difficulties managing their obesity (Stunkard, Grace, & Wolff, Address correspondence to Kelly C. Allison, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, 3535 Market St., Suite 3021, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3309, USA, kca@mail.med.upenn.edu, phone: 215-898-7314; fax: 215-898-2878. 1 Present address: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. 1955). These criteria were: (1) consumption of at least 25% of daily caloric intake after the evening meal, (2) initial insomnia at least half of the time, and (3) morning anorexia. Revision of the criteria in 1999 added: (1) nighttime awakenings (at least one per night), (2) frequently accompanied by the ingestion of snacks; (3) an increase in the requirement for evening hyperphagia to greater than 50% of daily caloric intake; (4) a duration of three months; and (5) absence of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder (BED) ...

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“…NES prevalence estimates are low in community samples (range: 0.4-1.6%), 5,17,18 but markedly higher among groups of obese persons seeking medical or surgical weight loss (range: 6-64%). 19 Despite this, only one cross-sectional study has shown a positive relationship between NES and body mass index (BMI). 20 Symptoms of depression are more consistently associated with NES, 1,4,7 but may be influenced by the concurrence of binge eating disorder (BED).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Night eating syndrome and nocturnal snacking: association with obesity, binge eating and psychological distress

2007

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Objective: Night eating syndrome (NES) is characterized by a time-delayed pattern of eating relative to sleep, where most food is consumed in the evening and night. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of NES and nocturnal snacking by exploring the relationship between NES and (1) obesity, (2) binge eating disorder (BED) and (3) Methods: NES diagnosis required within the previous 3 months: (1) no appetite for breakfast, (2) consumption of X50% of daily energy after 1900 hours and (3) sleep difficulties X3 nights/week. Nocturnal snacking (awakening to eat) was recorded. Validated questionnaires assessed BED, symptoms of depression, appearance dissatisfaction (AD) and mental health-related quality of life (MHQoL). NES and binge eating (BE) (X1 episode/week) were confirmed by interview. Results: NES criteria were met by 11.1% of the total cohort. Across all groups, BE (P ¼ 0.001), BMI (P ¼ 0.003) and male gender (P ¼ 0.013) explained 10% of NES variance. Individuals with co-morbid NES and BE reported similarly elevated psychological distress as other binge eaters. NES alone was not associated with psychological distress. Those with NES who consumed nocturnal snacks reported poorer MHQoL (P ¼ 0.007) and greater depressive symptoms (P ¼ 0.039) and hunger (P ¼ 0.013) than others with NES. Low MHQoL (P ¼ 0.007) and male gender (P ¼ 0.022) explained 27% of the variance in the nocturnal snacking group. Discussion: In this study, NES was positively associated with BMI, BE and male gender. Elevated psychological distress was only apparent in those who consumed nocturnal snacks. Further characterization and understanding of the clinical significance of NES and nocturnal snacking is required.

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Night time eating: a review of the literature

Cited by 74 publications

References 37 publications

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome using item response theory analysis

Night eating syndrome and nocturnal snacking: association with obesity, binge eating and psychological distress

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