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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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Kaiser study attacks binge eating, with results

Researchers find that a 12-week program has a 64.2% success rate

By , Columbian Science, Military & History Reporter
Published:

Researchers have found that a 12-week program can help people quit binge eating for up to a year — and can also save money for participants.

Recurrent binge eating is the most common eating disorder in the country and affects about 9 million people, yet few treatment options are available, according to the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research.

In partnership with Rutgers and Wesleyan universities, Kaiser researchers conducted two studies in Oregon and Washington on a self-guided program.

o Researchers said binge eating means consuming an unusually large amount of food to the point of being uncomfortable. Examples include eating two full meals, or three main courses, or two fast-food “super combo” meals at one sitting.

o Researchers said binge eating means consuming an unusually large amount of food to the point of being uncomfortable. Examples include eating two full meals, or three main courses, or two fast-food "super combo" meals at one sitting.

The results were published in the April issue of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

The study involved 123 members of the Kaiser Permanente health plan. About half were enrolled in the intervention. They attended eight therapy sessions over the course of 12 weeks and were asked to read a book — “Overcoming Binge Eating.”

Participants were asked to monitor and record what they ate and when, whether it was a binge episode, and circumstances of the meal.

Therapy steps included teaching people to eat more regularly, said Lynn DeBar, a Kaiser clinical psychologist and study co-author.

“A lot of people will get up in the morning, won’t eat breakfast, and then become famished and vulnerable to overeating. Other skills include doing alternate activities when you’re feeling vulnerable — calling a friend or taking a walk or something incompatible with food,” DeBar said.

“It’s problem-solving, stress management, teaching them about the dangers of self-induced vomiting and laxatives.”

About 63 percent of participants had stopped binge eating by the end of the 12-week program, compared who 28 percent of those who were not in the therapy program.

Six months later, 74.5 percent of program participants abstained from bingeing, compared with 44.1 percent of the others. After one year, 64.2 percent of participants were binge free, compared with 44.6 percent of control-group members who didn’t get the therapy.

“We were pleased” to see the participants maintain their healthier eating patterns after a year, DeBar said. “They were oriented to take the initiative, and these changes in lifestyle habits should be sustainable.”

And the 44.6 percent success rate of people who weren’t even in the 12-week program was another good sign.

“This was a study where everybody — whether in the program or not — agreed to be in, so they had a certain level of motivation,” DeBar said. “We sent information to everybody and let them know what resources were available in the Kaiser plan. We know a portion of those people were choosing to see a nutritionist or enroll in health education programs and probably were getting some services.”

Program participants saved money because they spent less on things like dietary supplements and weight loss programs, said Frances Lynch, a Kaiser health economist. She led the cost-effectiveness analysis.

“It is rare to find a service that offers cost savings,” Lynch said. “That is very positive and can allow health systems to adopt this more readily.”

The American Psychiatric Association recently recommended that binge eating be added to its diagnostic manual as a new mental disorder, which will allow physicians to be reimbursed for treating the disorder, and will focus more attention on diagnosis and treatment.

“We know a large number of people with an eating disorder also struggle with obesity as well as depression,” DeBar said. “Treatment of this helps on both fronts, helping prevent weight gain and improving quality of life.”

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Columbian Science, Military & History Reporter