Binge eating in obese patients with type II diabetes

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that binge eating occurs frequently in adolescents with type I diabetes and seriously affects glycemic control. However, there have been no studies to date to examine the effect of binge eating in patients with type II diabetes. The present study assessed binge eating severity in 98 obese type II diabetic patients who were participating in a behavioral weight-control program. Patients completed the Binge Eating Scale, a self-report instrument developed to assess binge eating in obese patients, at pre-and posttreatment, and at 1 year follow-up. The average score on the BES at pretreatment was 18, with females scoring significantly higher than males. Twenty-one percent of the females and 9% of the males met criteria for a serious binge-eating problem. Pretreatment scores on the BES were not related to weight or to glycemic control; however, binge-eating severity was strongly associated with depressive symptomatology. Scores on the binge eating scale decreased significantly during the weight control program. Decreases in binge eating severity were associated with improvements in mood but not with weight loss or improvements in glycemic control. Thus, binge eating is a common problem in obese type II diabetic patients that is related to symptoms of depression. However, binge eating is not related to glycemic control in these patients.