Food Addiction and Binge Eating During One Year Following Sleeve Gastrectomy: Prevalence and Implications for Postoperative Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Food addiction and binge eating are common among individuals with obesity. However, a paucity of studies prospectively examined the prevalence and implications of food addiction before and post-bariatric surgery. We aimed to examine the prevalence of food addiction and binge eating before and after sleeve gastrectomy (SG) and to assess their associations with behavioral and weight loss outcomes. METHODS: We followed at 3 (M3), 6 (M6), and 12 (M12) months postoperative, 54 women who underwent SG. Data collected including anthropometrics, nutritional intake, food tolerance, and physical activity measures. The Yale Food Addiction Scale and the Binge Eating Scale were used to characterize food addiction and binge eating, respectively. RESULTS: The mean baseline age and BMI were 32.1 ± 11.1 years and 44.9 ± 4.9 kg/m2, respectively. Pre-surgery, food addiction, and binge eating were identified in 40.7% and 48.1% of patients, respectively. The prevalence of food addiction decreased significantly up to M6, but increased to 29.3% at M12. The prevalence of binge eating decreased significantly through the follow-up up to 17.4% at M12. Those who met criteria for food addiction at M12 achieved significantly lower excess weight loss at M12 compared with those not meeting this criterion (P = 0.005). Food addiction scores at M12 negatively correlated with weekly physical activity (r = - 0.559; P < 0.001) and food tolerance scores (r = - 0.428; P = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in food addiction observed at M6 was not maintained at M12. Food addiction at M12 was associated with poorer weight loss, eating, and lifestyle behaviors. Clinical practice should focus on the psychological aspects associated with obesity.

Binge eating disorder is not predictive of alcohol abuse disorders in long-term follow-up period after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Some studies have shown an increase in alcohol use disorders (AUD) after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB), but its relationship with binge eating disorder (BED) has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of AUD and BED after RYGB and also to evaluate if BED is predictive of late postoperative occurrence of AUD or BED. METHODS: Patients (n = 46) submitted to RYGB, in a tertiary outpatient weight management service at a Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, were tested for BED and AUD using the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-Revised (QEWP-R) and AUDIT, respectively. BED was tested before surgery, while both disorders were evaluated with a follow-up period of 12 ± 1.6 years after RYGB. RESULTS: No patients reported AUD before RYBP. After a mean period of 12 years from surgery, ten patients (21.7%) were diagnosed with AUD. Before surgery, BED was present in 24 patients (52.2%) and it was detected in seven out of these 24 patients (29.2%) after RYGB. Thirteen new cases of BED (28.2%) were detected after surgery; total of 20 patients (43.5%) with BED. No association was found between pre- and postsurgery BED (p = 0.148). After RYGB, four out of 24 patients (16.6%) with presurgery BED developed AUD, and no association was found between presurgery BED and postsurgery AUD (p = 0.384). Seven out of ten patients (70%) with AUD after RYGB also developed BED, but no statistical significance was found between these two disorders (p = 0.061). CONCLUSION: The presence of BED before RYGB did not predict AUD and BED after RYGB. Nevertheless, factors involved in a possible association between BED and AUD after surgery remain to be determined. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, cohort study.

Food Addiction in Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients with Loss-of-Control Eating.

OBJECTIVE: Food addiction and binge eating share overlapping and non-overlapping features; the presence of both may represent a more severe obesity subgroup among treatment-seeking samples. Loss-of-control (LOC) eating, a key marker of binge eating, is one of the few consistent predictors of suboptimal weight outcomes post-bariatric surgery. This study examined whether co-occurring LOC eating and food addiction represent a more severe variant post-bariatric surgery. METHODS: One hundred thirty-one adults sought treatment for weight/eating concerns approximately 6 months post-sleeve gastrectomy surgery. The Eating Disorder Examination-Bariatric Surgery Version assessed LOC eating, picking/nibbling, and eating disorder psychopathology. Participants completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and the Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36). RESULTS: 17.6% met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Compared to those without food addiction, the LOC group with food addiction reported significantly greater eating disorder and depression scores, more frequent nibbling/picking and LOC eating, and lower SF-36 functioning. CONCLUSION: Nearly 18% of post-operative patients with LOC eating met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Co-occurrence of LOC and food addiction following sleeve gastrectomy signals a more severe subgroup with elevated eating disorder psychopathology, problematic eating behaviors, greater depressive symptoms, and diminished functioning. Future research should examine whether this combination impacts long-term bariatric surgery outcomes.

Problematic Eating Behaviors Predict Outcomes After Bariatric Surgery.

BACKGROUND: There are no clear psychosocial predictors of weight loss following bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether preoperative problematic eating behaviors predict weight loss outcomes following bariatric surgery. METHODS: Clinical records were utilized to examine outcomes of 101 patients who completed a pre-surgical psychosocial evaluation and underwent gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. Information analyzed included binge eating history and scores from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Yale Food Addiction Scale, and Emotional Eating Scale. Measures of weight loss 1 year post-surgery were compared to pre-surgical assessments. RESULTS: One-year follow-up data were available for 60 patients. Patients with higher levels of eating in response to anger/frustration (p = .02), anxiety (p = .01), or depression (p = .05) were more likely to miss the 1-year follow-up appointment. Eating in response to anger/frustration and depression were related to poorer weight loss outcomes. There was a trend for binge eating to predict greater %EWL (p = .06). A higher number of food addiction symptoms increased the likelihood that patients would experience less weight loss (p = .01). Psychiatric symptoms were not related to weight loss outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who endorsed higher levels of pre-surgical emotional eating and food addiction symptoms had poorer weight loss 1 year post-surgery. Providers should consider screening patients for these behaviors during the pre-surgical psychosocial evaluation which would allow opportunities for psychotherapy and potential improvement in weight loss outcomes. Future research should examine which interventions are successful at improving problematic eating behaviors.

Perceived Social Support for Exercise and Weight Loss in Adolescents Undergoing Sleeve Gastrectomy.

OBJECTIVES: Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for youth with severe obesity. However, outcomes are variable and there remains sparse understanding of predictors of weight loss following surgery. The current study examines the role of adolescent-reported pre-operative social support around exercise, binge eating, and exercise to predict excess body mass index (EBMI) loss from 3 to 12 months post-surgery. METHOD: Participants were 101 adolescents ages 12-21 (M age = 16.6, SD = 1.8). Pre-operative body mass index (BMI) ranged from 35 to 87 (M = 50.3, SD = 8.6). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate a model of the association of adolescent report of perceived social support for exercise with less binge eating (items from the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale) and more self-reported exercise (items from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System). The model was used to predict EBMI loss at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-surgery. RESULTS: Social support significantly predicted exercise and demonstrated a trend for predicting binge eating, such that more social support was associated with more exercise and a trend for less binge eating. Binge eating was associated with less EBMI loss. However, there was no association of exercise with EBMI loss. CONCLUSIONS: Pre-operative binge eating should be a target for identification and treatment prior to sleeve gastrectomy in adolescents. Although not directly or indirectly associated with EBMI loss, perceived social support around exercise was associated with increased exercise, which may make it a consideration for a target for intervention as well.

The DSM-5 effect: psychological characteristics of new patients affected by Binge Eating Disorder following the criteria of the DSM-5 in a sample of severe obese patients.

PURPOSE: The current study evaluated whether or not there were significant differences in psychopathological traits between three groups of individuals. The first was a group of patients seeking bariatric surgery diagnosed as being affected by Binge Eating Disorder (BED), according to the new criteria of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This group (NEW BED group) did not meet BED diagnosis following the previous criteria listed in the DSM-IV-TR. The second group of individuals was composed of severely obese patients seeking bariatric surgery not affected by an eating disorder, according to the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5 (OB group). The third group was composed of individuals within a healthy weight range (Control group). METHODS: 94 severely obese patients (33 in the NEW BED group and 61 in the OB group) were compared to the Control group including 41 participants on depression, anxiety and eating habits. RESULTS: The NEW BED scored significantly higher than the OB group on the Beck Depression Inventory, both the subscales of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory, on disinhibition and hunger subscales of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire and on many subscales of the Eating Disorders Inventory. CONCLUSIONS: The new, less restrictive diagnostic criteria for BED of the DSM-5 are useful in identifying obese patients affected by severe psychopathology and dysfunctional eating habits.

Are Iranian obese women candidate for bariatric surgery different cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally from their normal weight counterparts?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to examine the cognitive, emotional and behavioral differences between obese and normal weight women. METHODS: The participants consisted of 60 obese women (BMI ≥ 35, Mean age 35.83) who were candidates for bariatric surgery and 60 normal weight women (BMI ≤ 24.90, Mean age 33.38) who were selected through convenient sampling method. The two groups were matched with respect to age and education. Measures included the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Binge Eating Scale. Independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to compare the two groups' scores on early maladaptive schemas, DER and binge eating. RESULTS: Results indicated that obese women candidate for bariatric surgery scored significantly higher on emotional deprivation, mistrust, failure, dependency, enmeshment, self-sacrifice, especially abandonment, social isolation, vulnerability, self-control and subjugation schemas, but not on shame, entitlement, emotional inhibition and unrelenting standards. Obese women also displayed higher scores on three subscales of DERS, i.e., goal, impulse and strategies. BE scores were significantly higher in obese women than normal weight ones. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that obese women candidates for bariatric surgery suffered from more cognitive, emotional and behavioral vulnerability compared to women with normal weight. Addressing these vulnerabilities among obese women could improve outcomes of weight loss surgeries and cognitive behavioral interventions so that weight regain is minimized and better outcomes are achieved.

Association between binge eating disorder and changes in cognitive functioning following bariatric surgery.

Evidence suggests that both obesity and binge eating disorder (BED) may be associated with deficits in cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine whether a lifetime history of BED would be associated with changes in several domains of cognitive functioning (attention, executive function, language, and memory) following bariatric surgery. Participants were 68 bariatric surgery patients who completed a computerized battery of cognitive tests within 30 days prior to undergoing surgery and again at a 12-Month postoperative follow-up. Results revealed that on the whole, participants displayed improvements from baseline to follow-up in attention, executive function, and memory, even after controlling for diagnostic history of depression; no changes were observed for language. However, individuals with and without a history of BED did not differ in changes in body mass index or in the degree of improvement in cognitive functioning from baseline to follow-up. Such results suggest that a history of BED does not influence changes in cognitive functioning following bariatric surgery. Future research will be needed to further clarify the role of BED in predicting cognitive function over time.

Predictors of decreased binge eating following laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding using the Health Action Process Approach model.

The current study aimed to examine predictors of reduced binge eating in patients undergoing laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (LAGB) for severe obesity. Participants were 49 patients (13 males and 36 females) who completed measures of binge eating, behavioural intentions, planning and self-efficacy two weeks prior and three months after their operation. Reduced binge eating following surgery was predicted by behavioural intentions. Planning and volitional self-efficacy were unable to predict a significant amount of variance over and above intentions. The results highlight how the role of intentions must not be overlooked when investigating the prediction of health behaviour change and challenge the notion that post-intentional constructs that translate intentions into action are more important. Interventions aiming to increase preoperative levels of intention to follow the post-operative eating guidelines in patients presenting with binge eating might be a useful way of decreasing this behaviour in patients opting for LAGB surgery in order to achieve weight loss and physical well-being.

Examining the Binge Eating Scale in screening for binge eating disorder in bariatric surgery candidates.

BACKGROUND: This study assessed the utility of the Binge Eating Scale (BES) as a measure of binge eating disorder (BED) in a bariatric surgery-seeking population by (a) determining the optimal BES cut score for predicting BED, (b) calculating concordance statistics, and (c) determining the predictive value of each BES item. METHODS: Four hundred seventy-three patients presented for a psychological evaluation prior to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. The BES and the SCID semi-structured interview for BED were administered. RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses identified an optimal BES cut score of 17, which correctly classified 78% of patients with BED. A cut score of 27 improved this statistic, but significantly increased the number of false negatives, which is undesirable for a screening assessment. Discriminant function analyses revealed that nearly all BES items significantly predicted BED. CONCLUSIONS: The BES is a valid screener of BED for patients seeking bariatric surgery; however, false positives can be expected. Administering the BES as part of a comprehensive psychological evaluation can help improve the assessment and treatment of patients presenting for bariatric surgery.

A comparative analysis of Type 2 diabetes and binge eating disorder in a bariatric sample.

An emerging literature has illuminated an important link between Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and binge eating disorder (BED) within obese cohorts. However, prior work has not examined this relationship specifically in a weight loss surgery (WLS) sample or fully explored potential psychosocial factors associated with this co-occurrence. Therefore, the present investigation sought to identify socio-demographic (i.e. age, education, BMI, ethnicity, gender, age of obesity onset) and psychological (i.e. depressive symptoms, hedonic hunger/food locus of control beliefs, severity of binge eating-related cognitions) correlates of the co-occurrence of Type 2 DM and BED among bariatric surgery candidates. An archival sample of 488 patients seeking surgical treatment for clinical obesity completed a standard battery of pre-operative psychosocial measures. The presence of BED was evaluated using a semi-structured clinical interview based on the DSM-IV TR (APA, 2000) and was further corroborated by responses on the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-Revised (QEWP-R; Spitzer, Yanovski, & Marcus, 1993). Results indicated that 8.2% of the sample was classified as having both Type 2 DM and BED concurrently. A multivariate logistic regression model revealed that in addition to other psychological (e.g., binge eating-related cognitions, hedonic hunger) and demographic variables (i.e. male gender), African American ethnicity (OR=3.3: 1.41-7.73) was a particularly robust indicator of comorbid status. Findings support and extend previous health disparity research urging greater attention to the needs of traditionally underserved, at-risk populations seeking treatment for obesity complicated by dysregulated eating and metabolism. Additionally, these preliminary results underscore the relevance of considering the potential benefits of providing quality comprehensive pre- and post-operative psychological care among bariatric patients towards optimizing both short- and long-term health and well-being.

Salivary cortisol and binge eating disorder in obese women after surgery for morbid obesity.

BACKGROUND: Binge eating episodes characterized by loss of control are hypothesized to be accompanied by changes in hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. Cortisol is an end product of this neuroendocrine stress system. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the cortisol levels and the awakening cortisol response (ACR) in obese persons showing binge eating after surgery for morbid obesity. METHOD: Sixteen obese women with binge eating disorder (BED) and 18 obese women without BED participated in the study. Means+/-SD: age 43 +/- 15, body mass index 40 +/- 8. Salivary cortisol, anthropometric assessments, and the eating disorder examination interview were taken. RESULTS: Women with BED showed a significantly lower waist-to-hip ratio and cortisol levels during the day than women without BED, whereas the ACR did not differ. CONCLUSION: Our cross-sectional study in a small sample generates the hypothesis that neuroendocrine regulation differs between obese women with and without BED after obesity surgery. This finding needs replication in future studies that should also examine the causal direction of the observed association.