Eyes are bigger than the stomach: correlation between body mass index, satiety, and prediction of satiety.

We investigated if among adult subjects there is any correlation between body mass index (BMI), evaluation of current satiety after a standard meal and predicted satiety hypothesizing to have a second helping of the same food. One hundred and twenty-eight adult subjects randomly recruited during a village festival were included into the study; 20 were underweight, 74 normal weight and 34 overweight. Just after eating a highly caloric bean-soup, they were requested to evaluate current satiety and to predict their satiety before having a second helping of the same food they had just eaten to find out if there was any correlation between BMI and the evaluations. There was a significant negative correlation between participants' BMI and predicted satiety, no correlation was found between BMI and current satiety. The outcomes of the study give suggestions for prevention and treatment of overweight patients.

Psychopathology and treatment of night eating syndrome: a review.

The article reviews the international literature about psychopathological aspects and treatments of Night Eating Syndrome (NES). Studies were found using Medline; data from recent international books and conferences about ED are included, but single case descriptions are not included in the study. NES seems to be consistently related to mood disorders and anxiety. There is a low overlap between other eating disorders, including binge eating disorder (BED), and NES. The relationship between the syndrome and substance abuse is unclear and needs further study. Sleep architecture seems not to be severely altered among those with NES. A limited number of treatment studies for NES have been published or presented. Most of the literature focuses on pharmacological treatment, with fewer psychotherapeutic approaches reported at this time. Larger, multi-site treatment studies would serve to confirm the findings of this first wave of clinical trials.