Binge eating disorder, frequency of depression, and systemic inflammatory state in individuals with obesity - A cross sectional study

Elevated interleukin-6 in women with binge-eating spectrum disorders

OBJECTIVE

Binge-eating spectrum disorders (BESD) involve large eating episodes accompanied by a sense of loss of control that occur in individuals with body weights spanning the full body mass index (BMI) spectrum. While research links BESD with peripheral inflammation, this literature is limited by underpowered studies and a failure to control for confounding variables that could promote inflammation independent of dysregulated eating, specifically elevated body adiposity and depression. Our study examined plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker of peripheral inflammation, in a sample of women with BESD and non-eating disorder controls, controlling for BMI, body adiposity, and depression.

METHOD

Participants (N = 94) included women with BESD (n = 73) or no eating disorder (n = 21) who completed structured clinical interviews in a larger study, selected to represent BMI categories ranging from underweight to obese in both groups. Fasting blood samples were processed for plasma IL-6 concentration via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. In addition to assessing group differences in plasma IL-6, exploratory analyses examined associations between IL-6 and biological and clinical markers of BESD.

RESULTS

Significantly elevated plasma IL-6 was found in women with BESD, relative to controls, that was not accounted for by BMI, adiposity, or depression. Plasma IL-6 was positively correlated with plasma leptin concentration, clinical assessments of eating disorder severity, and participants' largest self-reported eating episode.

DISCUSSION

Peripheral inflammation is specifically linked to presence of dysregulated eating independently from weight, adiposity, and depression in BESD. Future research should probe the potential role of neuroinflammation in altered eating behavior.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

This study provides the first demonstration that inflammation, characterized by elevated plasma IL-6 concentration, is uniquely associated with dysregulated eating in a transdiagnostic group of individuals with BESD. A better understanding of whether immune factors contribute to dysregulated eating could help identify novel biological targets for intervention.

Binge-Spectrum Eating Disorders, Mood, and Food Insecurity in Young Adults With Obesity

BACKGROUND

Disordered eating is common but underrecognized in people with obesity and the relationship of food insecurity, mood, and binge-spectrum eating disorders has not been well addressed in samples with higher weight. Young adults are particularly vulnerable to developing disordered eating.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of food insecurity, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and loneliness among young adults (aged 18-35 years) who screened positive for binge-spectrum eating disorders (i.e., binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa), those with subthreshold forms of these disorders, and individuals who did not screen positive for these conditions.

METHOD

This was a cross-sectional study of young adults with a self-reported body mass index ≥30 kg/m2 from the United States who were recruited online. Participants (N = 1,331; M ± SD age = 28.0 ± 3.4 years; body mass index [BMI] = 36.5 ± 6.2 kg/m2; 73.9% male; 56.3% White) completed surveys that evaluated disordered eating behaviors, food insecurity, mood, and lifestyle factors.

RESULTS

In the sample, 8.0% of participants screened positive for binge-spectrum eating disorder and 16.0% had probable subthreshold symptoms. Higher depressive symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 1.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 1.20], p = .01), perceived stress (OR = 1.13, 95% CI = [1.07, 1.19], p < .001), and food insecurity scores (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = [1.03, 1.21], p = .01) were associated with an increased likelihood of threshold binge-spectrum eating disorders.

CONCLUSION

People with disordered eating should also be evaluated for mood disorders and food insecurity and vice versa. Further research is needed to evaluate interventions that address food insecurity and mood disorders, which may help to decrease disordered eating.