Milana Tolmasova

Dr. Rosalinda Macaluso

SS530 Writing Assignment

This topic is about obese women who suffer from binge eating disorder. The researchers
were interested in finding out what triggers the binges in the obese women to create effective
treatments in the future. Binge eating is when a person consumes excessive calories in one
sitting; during this episode, they feel a loss of control over their eating and then anxious after the
event. Binge eating is different from Bulimia Nervosa in that they do not compensate for their
excessive caloric intake. Therefore, people with Binge Eating Disorder are usually overweight or
obese.
In previous studies, researchers found that mood problems have often preceded binge
episodes right before they were about to eat. However, the researchers in this study wanted to
know the moods of the participants throughout the day, not just right before a binge episode. The
purpose of investigating the moods of participants throughout the day is because treatment
approaches to these two situations are different.
This research also differed from previous studies because it examined eating in women
with binge eating disorder rather than in women with bulimia nervosa. In the studies involving
women with bulimia nervosa, researchers have consistently shown that negative affect preceded
binge episodes. Other factors in binge episodes included negative mood, recent consumption of
food, and being alone.
Therefore, this study replicated and extended previous research describing the precursors
to binge eating. In addition, to the already mentioned antecedents, the researchers also studied

whether craving was a precursor to binge eating. This article also contains the largest group of
women with binge eating disorder. It included a control group with women without this disorder.
In this study there were 79 overweight women, 41 women were in the binge eating
disorder group and 38 women were in the group without binge eating disorder. In both groups,
the women were between the ages of 30 and 55 and their BMI were between 30 and 45. The
average age was 39 and the average BMI was 37.75. In order to determine which group the
women would be categorized under, the researchers used the Binge Eating Scale, which is a
questionnaire that rates the severity of binge eating symptoms. Participants that scored below 17
were screened as non-binge eaters, while participants who scored above 27 were screened as
binge eaters. The women were then interviewed with the Eating Disorder Examination, which
diagnoses eating disorders. If the womens self reported binge status was confirmed by the eating
disorder examination interviewers, they were then invited to take part in the weight loss
treatment.
Researchers needed one week period before the actual weight loss trial. The participants
monitored their eating for 6 days using a hand held computer to measure their mood, appetite
and setting during eating episodes and non eating episodes. The subjects also used a paper diary
to record their daily consumptions. At random intervals, the participants were paged when they
were not eating; at this point the participants completed a non eating comparison assessment.
Before each eating episode, the subjects conducted an eating assessment then kept a food diary
and then completed a post meal assessment. At the post meal assessment the women had to
report whether it was a binge or not.

Researchers found that all of the women in the Binge Eating (BED) group reported at
least 1 binge eating episode and at the same time more than half of the Non Binge Eating
(NBED) group reported 1 or more binges. In terms of binge antecedents, poor mood, low
alertness, poor control over eating, and craving sweets all preceded binge episodes in women
with Binge Eating Disorder. Binge eaters from both groups were more likely to be home for
binge episodes than for non binge episodes. In the NBED group, binge antecedents included
lower levels of control over eating, higher levels of craving for sweets and being at home.
Results from this study also show that women with BED had worse moods, lower alertness,
greater tension, less control over eating, and more craving for sweets and for nonsweet foods
than did NBED women. This research confirmed that women with BED experienced worse
moods than women without BED; this is a consistent finding that researchers have found
regarding women with BED.
Because it was such a high number of binge eaters in the non binge eating group, the
researchers decided to compare emotional and appetitive variables in the following three groups:
NBED with no binge episodes(NBED), NBED with binge episodes (binge eating NBED), and
BED. Researchers found the caloric consumptions in the two groups were similar (BED 800
calories vs. NBED 792 calories). For alertness, tension, and craving of nonsweets, the binge
eating NBED group resembled the NBED group. For mood, control of eating, and craving
sweets, the binge eating NBED group was in between the NBED and BED groups.
This research not only found that mood is worse overall for women with BED, but they
found that mood is especially poor right before a binge episode. This is important to know so that
clinicians can come up with specific treatment to calm a persons mood to prevent a binge
episode.

I feel that this study is a great way to measure binge episodes in women with BED and
NBED targeting a precursor behind the binges. The use of a hand held computer device was
impressive. It allowed the researchers to obtain information about the participants moods
throughout the day instead of just right before they ate. This is the first study where the
researchers studied binge antecedents combining event- and signal-contingent measurements.
This made the results more precise. I think this was a very important topic to address given the
obesity epidemic in this country and the large number of women who engage in binge eating.
Further research could be conducted targeting females with binge episodes using a larger sample
size and by obtaining a non binge eating group that actually does NOT binge. They can do this
by using stricter criteria of what a binge actually entails. This is important so more comparisons
can be made between the binge eating group and a non binge eating group.
Because people with Binge Eating Disorder seem similar to people with Bulimia
Nervosa, the study I would conduct would measure binge antecedents in three groups instead of
two. The three groups would be the binge eaters Group, non binge eaters group, and the bulimic
group. In this study, the moods of all these groups would be measured throughout the day before
they eat and after they eat to determine how they feel after the binge. Participants would receive
portable laptop devices to record their specific daily intake and along with the food description,
write how they feel at the moment. These participants would submit their entries daily for
clinicians to evaluate and analyze. This study would be conducted for a six month span. This will
help clinicians distinguish treatment for Bulimic participants from Binge Eaters.

REFERENCE:
Greeno, Catherine,G. ; Wing, Rena, R.; Shiffman, Saul. (2000, February).
Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, American Psychological
Association, 68(1).