Eating In Girls Research Articles

Shared Genetic Influences Between Loss-of-Control Eating and Body Mass Index in Adolescent Twins.

Pediatric loss-of-control (LOC) eating is associated with high BMI and predicts binge-eating disorder and obesity onset with age. Research on the etiology of this common comorbidity has not explored the potential for shared genetic risk. This study examined genetic and environmental influences on LOC eating and its shared influence with BMI. Participants were 499 monozygotic and 398 same-sex dizygotic twins (age = 17.38 years ± 0.67, BMIz = 0.03 ± 1.03, 54% female) from the Colorado Center for Antisocial Drug Dependence Study. LOC eating was assessed dichotomously. Self-reported height and weight were converted to BMIz. Univariate and bivariate twin models estimated genetic and environmental influences on LOC eating and BMIz. More girls (21%) than boys (9%, p < 0.001) reported LOC eating. The phenotypic correlation with BMIz was 0.03 in girls and 0.18 in boys. Due to the nonsignificant phenotypic correlation in girls, bivariate twin models were fit in boys only. Across all models, the best-fitting model included genetic and unique environmental effects. Genetic factors accounted for 0.51 (95% CI: 0.23, 0.73) of the variance of LOC eating in girls and 0.54 (0.18, 0.90) in boys. The genetic correlation between LOC eating and BMIz in boys was 0.45 (0.15, 0.75). Findings indicate moderate heritability of LOC eating in adolescence, while emphasizing the role of unique environmental factors. In boys, LOC eating and BMIz share a proportion of their genetic influences.

Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) Results in Girls: Polish Adolescents' COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study.

Stress related to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused substantial changes in eating behaviors, and may have been associated with emotional eating, especially in female individuals. The aim of the present study was to analyze the association between stress perceived during the COVID-19 pandemic and emotional eating in girls, within the third phase of the Polish Adolescents' COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study. A nationwide sample of 818 Polish female adolescents, aged 15-20, was gathered. The adolescents were recruited to the study based on a random quota sampling procedure. Using a computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) survey, participants filled out the Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) to assess the urge to cope with negative emotions by eating, and the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire (ASQ) to assess perceived stress. Additionally, the data concerning body mass, height, as well as body mass change during the COVID-19 pandemic were verified. The groups most susceptible to emotional eating were excessive body mass female adolescents, those who gained weight during the COVID-19 pandemic and those experiencing high stress levels while facing negative emotions. In order to plan effective therapeutic interventions dealing with the issue of emotional eating, both psychological therapy and dietary strategy tailored to the individual should be considered for the indicated susceptible groups.

Network Associations Among Body Image, Lifestyle, Body Mass Index, and Quality of Life in Adolescents.

BackgroundBody image is known as an important factor affecting different aspects of adolescents’ health; however, its relationship with lifestyle, body mass index (BMI), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Iranian adolescents has not been addressed in a conceptual model.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the network associations among body image, lifestyle, BMI, and HRQoL in adolescent boys and girls.MethodsThe present study examined 760 adolescents (15 - 18 years) from Tehran. Adolescents reported their weight and height, according to which the participants’ BMIs were calculated. The adolescents’ body image, lifestyle, and HRQoL were assessed using a set of questionnaires, including the Body Image Scale for Youth (BISY), Modifiable Activity Questionnaire (MAQ), Eating Habits Checklist, Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQLTM).ResultsThe participants’ mean age and BMI were 16.5 ± 1.0 years and 22.4 ± 4.6 kg/m2, respectively. More than one-third of boys (39.9%) and less than a quarter of girls (22.6%) were overweight/obese. In the final model, body image was significantly and directly associated with physical activity, disordered eating, eating habits, and HRQoL in both genders (P < 0.05). Moreover, body image was directly correlated with screen time in boys (P = 0.012) and BMI in girls (P = 0.001). Body image was indirectly correlated with BMI by the mediating role of disordered eating in girls. Moreover, body image was indirectly associated with HRQoL by the mediating role of physical activity and eating habits in both genders and screen time only in boys.ConclusionsThe network associations among body image, lifestyle, BMI, and HRQoL revealed a gender-specific pattern among the study population. Body image was a significant determinant of lifestyle and HRQoL in both genders and excessive weight in girls. The present findings would contribute to designing and implementing relevant health promotion interventions.

Children's inhibitory control abilities in the presence of rewards are related to weight status and eating in the absence of hunger

The Reflective-Impulsive Dual Processes Model suggests that overeating occurs when the temptation to consume food overrides inhibitory control processes. However, how rewards interact with inhibitory control and their relation to children's weight status and food intake is not understood. Here, 7-to-11-year-old children (n = 66; 32 overweight/obese) completed two versions (baseline [i.e., non-reward incentivized/control] and reward incentivized [food, money, no reward]) of a Go/Nogo task. Intake of palatable foods in the absence of hunger (i.e., eating in the absence of hunger-EAH) was measured following a standardized meal. A drift diffusion model was used to characterize children's performance parameters on the Go/Nogo. On the baseline Go/Nogo, children with higher weight status responded more cautiously, but on reward trials for food/money children were more cautions and made more false alarms relative to the no reward condition. Energy intake during EAH positively correlated with FA errors for food and money vs. no reward, but sex moderated this effect such that FA positively associated with EAH in girls but not boys. Independent of sex, FA for money vs. no reward and food vs. money were both positively associated with energy consumed during EAH. These results suggest that the presence of food and money rewards impair inhibitory control processing, especially in children with higher weight status. Further, increased inhibitory control impairment in response to food rewards, specifically, may be a risk factor for disinhibited eating in girls. Though preliminary, results may be useful in the development of targeted treatments to help moderate excess consumption in children.

Changes in appetite-regulating hormones following food intake are associated with changes in reported appetite and a measure of hedonic eating in girls and young women with anorexia nervosa

BackgroundFemales with anorexia nervosa (AN) have higher ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY) and lower brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) levels than controls, and differ in their perception of hunger cues. Studies have not examined appetite-regulating hormones in the context of homeostatic and hedonic appetite in AN. ObjectiveTo examine whether alterations in appetite-regulating hormones following a standardized meal are associated with homeostatic and hedonic appetite in young females with AN vs. controls. Methods68 females (36 AN, 32 controls) 10–22 years old were enrolled. Ghrelin, PYY and BDNF levels were assessed before, and 30, 60 and 120 min following a 400-kilocalorie standardized breakfast. Visual Analog Scales (VAS) assessing prospective food consumption, hunger, satiety, and hedonic appetite were administered before and 20 min after breakfast. A Cookie Taste Test (CTT) was conducted after a snack as a measure of hedonic eating behavior ∼3 h after breakfast. ResultsAN had higher fasting ghrelin and PYY, and lower fasting BDNF (p = 0.001, 0.002 and 0.044 respectively) than controls. Following breakfast (over 120 min), ghrelin and PYY area under the curve (AUC) were higher, while BDNF AUC was lower in AN vs. controls (p = 0.007, 0.017 and 0.020 respectively). Among AN (but not controls), reductions in ghrelin and increases in PYY in the first 30-minutes following breakfast were associated with reductions in VAS scores for prospective food consumption. AN consumed fewer calories during the CTT vs. controls (p < 0.0001). In AN (particularly AN-restrictive subtype), BDNF AUC was positively associated with kilocalories consumed during the CTT ConclusionsIn young females with AN, changes in ghrelin and PYY following food intake are associated with reductions in a prospective measure of food consumption, while reductions in BDNF are associated with reduced hedonic food intake. Further studies are necessary to better understand the complex interplay between appetite signals and eating behaviors in AN.

Exploring the reciprocal relationships between adolescents' perceptions of parental and peer attachment and disordered eating: A multiwave cross-lagged panel analysis.

This prospective study explored bidirectional associations between attachment quality towards mother, father, and peers and disordered eating among a large population-based sample of boys and girls in the transition from preadolescence to adolescence. Specifically, we examined whether insecure attachment relationships emerged as a risk factor for or as an outcome of disordered eating. A population-based sample of 904 adolescent girls and boys was assessed four times, at baseline (T1; Mage = 10.8 years) and at 2-, 4-, and 6-year follow-up (T2, T3, and T4). Prospective data were analyzed using cross-lagged panel models for each attachment figure (i.e., mother, father, peers) in a multigroup design to compare genders. Better attachment to the mother led to less pronounced disturbed eating in girls across the entire age range and in boys across two time periods. In girls, more pronounced disordered eating at T3 predicted worse attachment to the mother at T4 and better attachment to the father at T1 predicted less disturbed eating at T2. In boys, disordered eating at T1 predicted better attachment to the father at T2. Concerning peer attachment, better attachment at T1 predicted disordered eating at T2, in boys only. No other significant cross-lagged effects emerged. These findings highlight the differential and gender-specific contribution of attachment figures to the development of disordered eating in adolescence. Programs aimed at improving communication and trust in the relationship with parents might be promising in the prevention of disordered eating and the subsequent deterioration of parent-child attachment relationships.

Estrogen moderates genetic influences on binge eating during puberty: Disruption of normative processes?

Puberty is a critical period for changes in genetic effects for binge eating in girls. Previous twin studies show increases in genetic influences on binge eating from prepuberty (∼0%) to midpuberty and beyond (∼50%). However, little is known about the factors that drive these shifts in genetic effects. A small pilot study showed that pubertal activation of estrogen may contribute to increases in genetic influences, possibly via hormonally induced changes in gene expression. However, large-scale studies investigating hormone effects on genetic risk are lacking. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of estrogen on genetic influences for binge eating in 964 female twins (ages 8-16 years) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Binge eating was assessed with the Minnesota Eating Behaviors Survey, whereas afternoon saliva samples were assayed for estradiol levels using standard enzyme immunoassays. Twin moderation models showed substantial differences in genetic influences on binge eating across estradiol levels. Stronger genetic effects were observed at lower (rather than higher) estradiol levels, even when controlling for the effects of age, body mass index, the physical changes of puberty, and the onset of menses. Overall, findings suggest that comparatively lower levels of estradiol during this critical period may disrupt normative developmental processes and enhance genetic influences on binge eating. (PsycINFO Database Record

The significant effects of puberty on the genetic diathesis of binge eating in girls.

Recent data show significant phenotypic and genetic associations between ovarian hormones and binge eating in adulthood. Theories of hormonal risk focus on puberty and the possibility that hormone activation induces changes in genetic effects that then lead to differential risk for binge eating in postpuberty and adulthood. Although this theory is difficult to test in humans, an indirect test is to examine whether genetic influences on binge eating increase during the pubertal period in girls. Prior work has shown pubertal increases in genetic influences on overall disordered eating symptoms, but no study to date has examined binge eating. The present study was the first to examine these increases for binge eating. Participants included 1,568 female twins (aged 8-25 years) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Binge eating and pubertal development were assessed with self-report questionnaires. Twin moderation models showed significant linear increases in genetic effects from prepuberty (5%) to postpuberty (42%), even after controlling for the effects of age and body mass index. Results provide critical support for increased genetic influences on binge eating during puberty. Additional studies are needed to identify hormonal mechanisms and fully test contemporary models of ovarian hormone risk.

Effortful control as a moderator in the association between punishment and reward sensitivity and eating styles in adolescent boys and girls

The reactive traits of Sensitivity to Punishment (SP) and Sensitivity to Reward (SR) are assumed to be involved in the development of Eating Disorders (EDs). Most studies examine whether levels of these traits differ between ED diagnoses, without taking other variables into account. However, vulnerability theories of psychopathology posit that the risk for psychopathology depends on the interaction between reactive traits and self-regulatory traits such as Effortful Control (EC). As such, the present objective was to examine the moderating role of EC in the association between SP, SR and the eating styles restrained eating, emotional eating and external eating as possible ED precursors in adolescents.To obtain this objective, a community sample of 252 adolescents (54.0% female) between 14 and 19 years old was recruited. Self-report questionnaires were used to measure the level of SP, SR, EC and eating styles. In a subsample (n = 46, 67.4% female), the Colour-Word Stroop task was conducted as an additional behavioural measure of EC. Hierarchic linear regressions were performed separately for boys and girls to examine the interactions between SP, SR and EC as well as gender differences between these interactions.There was some evidence for interactions between reactive and regulative traits in explaining restrained and emotional eating in girls. Also, several main effects of SP and SR were found in boys for all eating styles and in girls for restrained eating. The implications of these findings for future research and for screening and prevention programs are discussed.

Children's psychosocial stress and emotional eating: A role for leptin?

Psychosocial stress can be a health threat by stimulating unhealthier eating behaviors. We aim to test the role of the hormone leptin in the association between stress and diet/emotional eating as detected in primary school children. In a two-wave longitudinal study with 308 Belgian children (5-12y) in 2010-2012, the association of fasting serum leptin with reported stress (negative events and emotional problems), measured stress by salivary cortisol (overall cortisol output and awakening response), emotional eating and food consumption frequency was examined. Analyses were split by sex. Mediation and moderation by leptin change were tested. One stress marker (overall cortisol output) was significantly correlated with high leptin levels, but only in girls and cross-sectionally. Only in boys, leptin was associated with low emotional eating. Leptin was not a significant predictor of unhealthy food consumption. Leptin change was not a mediator but an enhancing moderator in the link between stress (high cortisol output and emotional problems) and emotional eating in girls: high reports of emotional eating in 2012 were present in the case of combined high 2-year leptin increase and high stress at baseline. Stress (represented by emotional problems and high daily cortisol) seems to lead to hyperleptinemia in girls; and the combination of high stress and hyperleptinemia might make girls more vulnerable to stress-induced eating. No functional data on leptin sensitivity were present, but results might suggest that stress induces lower sensitivity to the anorexigenic leptin activity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:471-480).

Prospective Associations Between Binge Eating and Psychological Risk Factors in Adolescence

There is evidence that intrapersonal psychological factors might contribute to the development of binge eating. However, studies considering reciprocal effects between risk factors and disordered eating are rare. The present article investigates the nature of the temporal relationships between binge eating and low self-esteem, depressive symptoms, interoceptive deficits, perfectionism, weight/shape concerns, dietary restraint, and the internalization of the societal body ideal in adolescence while taking into account the moderating effects of age and gender. A German population-based sample of 1039 boys and girls from 12 to 19 years of age answered self-report questionnaires on risk factors and eating pathology on 2 measurement points separated by 20 months. Data were analyzed using a cross-lagged panel design. Low self-esteem, interoceptive deficits, weight/shape concerns, and the internalization of the societal body ideal predicted binge eating longitudinally in bivariate analyses. Binge eating predicted later depressive symptoms, whereas perfectionism and dietary restraint were not longitudinally linked to binge eating in either direction. Low self-esteem and weight/shape concerns emerged as multivariate predictors of binge eating in girls and boys, respectively. No moderating effects of age were observed. The results suggest that depressive symptoms might rather be a consequence of binge eating than a risk factor, and this underscores that even subclinical eating pathology might be associated with negative psychological outcomes. Central risk factors that should be targeted in prevention programs might be low self-esteem for girls and weight/shape concerns for boys.

Family Functioning and Dysfunctional Eating Among Italian Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Gender.

The first aim of this study was to examine the association between different dimensions of family functioning and dysfunctional eating in a sample of Italian adolescent boys and girls. The second aim was to investigate whether gender moderates the relationship between family functioning and dysfunctional eating. Seven hundred and twenty seven adolescents (500 boys and 227 girls) with ages ranging from 15 to 18years completed a survey of self-report measures. Findings from hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggested that aspects of family functioning such as flexibility, cohesion, disengagement, enmeshment, rigidity and chaotic were related to dysfunctional eating in adolescents. Additionally the results indicated differences between boys and girls, in particular dysfunctional eating in adolescent boys seemed to be more affected by dimensions of enmeshment and disengagement than dysfunctional eating in girls. This research highlights the important role of various aspects of family functioning in relation to dysfunctional eating in adolescents.

Executive function and food approach behavior in middle childhood.

Executive function (EF) has long been considered to be a unitary, domain-general cognitive ability. However, recent research suggests differentiating “hot” affective and “cool” cognitive aspects of EF. Yet, findings regarding this two-factor construct are still inconsistent. In particular, the development of this factor structure remains unclear and data on school-aged children is lacking. Furthermore, studies linking EF and overweight or obesity suggest that EF contributes to the regulation of eating behavior. So far, however, the links between EF and eating behavior have rarely been investigated in children and non-clinical populations. First, we examined whether EF can be divided into hot and cool factors or whether they actually correspond to a unitary construct in middle childhood. Second, we examined how hot and cool EF are associated with different eating styles that put children at risk of becoming overweight during development. Hot and cool EF were assessed experimentally in a non-clinical population of 1657 elementary-school children (aged 6–11 years). The “food approach” behavior was rated mainly via parent questionnaires. Findings indicate that hot EF is distinguishable from cool EF. However, only cool EF seems to represent a coherent functional entity, whereas hot EF does not seem to be a homogenous construct. This was true for a younger and an older subgroup of children. Furthermore, different EF components were correlated with eating styles, such as responsiveness to food, desire to drink, and restrained eating in girls but not in boys. This shows that lower levels of EF are not only seen in clinical populations of obese patients but are already associated with food approach styles in a normal population of elementary school-aged girls. Although the direction of effect still has to be clarified, results point to the possibility that EF constitutes a risk factor for eating styles contributing to the development of overweight in the long-term.

Teasing and Disordered Eating Behaviors in Spanish Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to investigate the associations between peer teasing and body dissatisfaction (BD), emotional symptoms, drive for thinness (DT), and abnormal eating behaviors, as well as to analyze the mediating role of gender and body mass index (BMI) in such disorders. We screened 57,997 school children between 13 and 16 years of age. Scores in weight-related teasing and competency-related teasing were higher among girls, as well as overweight or obese individuals. Weight-teasing correlated more strongly with abnormal eating attitudes and behaviors, whereas competency-teasing correlated with emotional symptoms. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that weight-teasing is significantly and independently associated with BD, especially in boys. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant association between weight-teasing and abnormal eating in girls, although its predictive value was very low (Exp(B) = 1.009). Mediation analysis and Path analysis showed the mediating role of DT in this association. Interventions on teasing do not seem to be a priority in eating disorder prevention programs.

Negative affect as a mediator of the relationship between weight-based teasing and binge eating in adolescent girls

Previous research has established a link between weight-based teasing and binge eating, though the precise mechanisms that drive this relationship remain unknown. This study examined negative affect as a mediator of the relationship between weight-based teasing and binge eating. Participants included 265 adolescent female twins (aged 10–15 years). Self-report measures assessed binge eating, weight-based teasing, and negative affect. Mediation was tested within hierarchical linear models to control for the non-independence of the twin data. Significant positive associations were observed between binge eating, teasing, and negative affect. In the regression analyses, negative affect partially mediated associations between weight-based teasing and binge eating. Results suggest that increases in negative affect are one way in which weight-based teasing leads to binge eating in girls. Future studies should examine additional mediators and assess possible clinical applications of these findings.

Psychosocial predictors of weight loss behaviors and binge eating in adolescent girls and boys

This study examined the predictors of dieting, extreme weight loss behaviors, and binge eating in adolescents (606 females and 315 males). High school classes were administered measures of weight loss behaviors, binge eating, perceived current and ideal body size, body dissatisfaction, advantages of being thinner and physically fitter, satisfaction with fitness, depression, self-esteem, parental overprotection, parental caring, and family adaptability and cohesion. Principal component analyses grouped predictor (body image, psychosocial) and criterion (weight loss behaviors, binge eating) variables. The primary predictor of weight loss behaviors in both sexes and binge eating in girls was the desire to be thinner which included a larger current body size. Psychological and family variables played lesser roles but were significantly predictive in a number of cases. Sex differences in factor structures and important predictors emerged. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Prevalence of disordered eating in girls: A survey of middle-class children

Prevalence of disordered eating in girls: A survey of middle-class children