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Problematic alcohol use and binge eating frequently co-occur. High levels of negative affect, negative urgency, and/or shame may increase the likelihood that problematic alcohol use and binge eating co-occur over time., Objective: Examine 1) the temporal relationship between problematic alcohol use and binge eating among college women, who are at high risk for both, and 2) the additive and moderating effects of shared, emotion-based risk factors in models involving both problematic alcohol use and binge eating., Method: In n = 302 college women assessed at two time points across 8 months, we used hierarchical linear regression to invstigate our objectives., Results: Baseline problematic alcohol use and baseline shame independently predicted increases in follow-up binge eating, controlling for baseline binge eating. In addition, the interaction between problematic alcohol use and shame accounted for further variance in subsequent binge eating (the influence of baseline problematic alcohol use on follow-up binge eating was stronger at higher levels of baseline shame). The reciprocal relationship was not significant: baseline binge eating did not predict follow-up problematic alcohol use independently or in conjunction with risk factors. Neither negative affect nor negative urgency showed predictive effects beyond prior behavior and shame. Results support 1) problematic alcohol use as a prospective risk factor for binge eating, 2) shame as an additive predictor of binge eating, and 3) shame as a positive moderator of binge eating prediction from problem drinking., Conclusion: Addressing shame and problematic alcohol use may be warranted in binge eating interventions for college women., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors have no conflicts of interest to report., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are characterized by recurrent binge eating, episodes of consuming large amounts of food in a discrete period of time associated with a loss of control. Implementation intentions are explicit if-then plans that engender goal-directed action, and rely less on cognitive control than standard treatment options. In a sample with BED and BN, we compared two implementation intention conditions to a control condition. In the behavior-focused condition, implementation intentions targeted binge eating behaviors. In the emotion-focused condition, implementation intentions targeted negative affect preceding binge eating. In the control condition, only goal intentions were set. Each condition comprised three sessions. Participants kept food diaries for four weeks. Compared to the control condition both implementation intention conditions showed significant and large reductions of binge eating that persisted for six months. Effects did not differ between the behavior-focused and emotion-focused implementation intention conditions. These results demonstrate that three sessions on implementation intention formation can lead to long-term reductions in binge eating in patients with BED or BN. Learning how to form implementation intentions seems a recommendable addition to the current standard treatment. Future research could investigate the added value of fully personalized implementation intentions. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NL52600.068.15., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

It is well-established that negative affect acts as predictor and maintenance factor of problematic eating behaviors. However, the relevance of different facets of negative affect is unclear. While guilt was consistently shown as having a relevant contribution in relation with problematic eating patterns, shame might play a similar role. The current study used an ecological momentary assessment design to assess associations between facets of shame and subsequent disturbed eating behaviors. The study included 57 females with high levels of eating disorders (ED) symptomatology who completed five surveys per day for 14 consecutive days. Participants completed measures of facets of shame (i.e., general shame, body shame, shame around eating), negative affect and problematic eating behaviors (i.e., binge eating, restriction, weighting, body checking, purging, taking laxative/diuretics and excessive exercise). Data were analyzed using multilevel models. In general, between-subjects facets of shame were associated with more disturbed eating behaviors, with shame explaining a significantly and clinically relevant percent of the variance of these problematic eating behaviors. At the within-subject level, facets of shame predicted subsequent binge eating, body checking and excessive exercise. These findings support the role of shame in ED symptomatology and the relevance of directly tackling shame in psychological treatments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Dysregulated behaviors, defined as active behaviors that have short-term benefits but cause serious recurrent long-term distress or impairment to the individual and/or those around them, include behaviors such as suicidal and nonsuicidal self-injury, aggression, and substance use. These behaviors are common and costly to the individual, their friends and family, and society. Despite similar etiological models and interventions, dysregulated behaviors have largely been studied in isolation from one another. The goals of this paper were to a) define dysregulated behaviors as a coherent class of behaviors, b) review the prevalence and consequences of dysregulated behaviors, c) outline how dysregulated behaviors fit into current models of psychopathology, and d) describe the key questions to be addressed by future research in this area. It is argued that integrating across theories of discrete dysregulated behaviors can help provide aid in the development of etiological models, which in turn can improve prevention and intervention for dysregulated behaviors., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest To our knowledge, none of the authors have actual or potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Recent research indicates that weight suppression (WS: defined as the difference between highest lifetime and current weight) prospectively predicts illness trajectory across eating disorders characterized by binge eating, including AN binge-purge subtype (ANbp), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED), collectively referred to as bulimic eating disorders. Through a series of studies, we have developed a model to explain the link between WS and illness trajectory in bulimic eating disorders. Our model posits that WS contributes to reduced circulating leptin, which leads to reduced postprandial glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) response. Diminished leptin and GLP-1 function contribute to alterations in two reward-related constructs in the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC): reward value/effort and reward satiation. Respectively, these changes increase drive/motivation to consume food and decrease ability for food consumption to lead to a state of satiation/satisfaction. Combined, these alterations increase risk for experiencing large, out-of-control binge-eating episodes. The following review presents evidence that contributed to the development of this model as well as preliminary findings from an on-going project funded to test this model., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Binge drinking and binge eating occur frequently in undergraduates; however, the mechanism driving their co-occurrence is not well-understood. Several theories support the role of motives in driving drinking and eating behavior, especially motivations related to affect regulation (i.e., enhancement/pleasure and coping). This study used a person-centered approach to identify classes of students based on eating and drinking motives and past-month binge behavior and examined class differences in psychopathology, emotion regulation, and impulsivity. Undergraduates (N = 776) completed a drinking timeline follow-back and surveys assessing motives, binge eating, psychopathology, emotion regulation, impulsivity, and quality of life. Mixture modeling was used to group students based on presence/absence of past-month binge eating, binge drinking, and motives for eating and drinking. The analysis resulted in 4 classes: Binge Drinking (with relatively high social and enhancement drinking motives), Binge Eating (with overall high eating motives), Both Bingeing (with high drinking motives, especially coping, and high eating motives), and Low Bingeing (with low motives for both behaviors). ANOVA and post-hoc analyses suggested that the Binge Eating and Both Bingeing groups were most impaired, while the Binge Drinking class rarely differed from the Low Bingeing group across measures of psychological distress. Notably, classes with high eating/drinking motives displayed significant impairment despite not all class members endorsing binge behavior. Findings suggest that binge drinking in addition to binge eating may not imply more psychological impairment and support the importance of assessing motives for eating/drinking among undergraduates and potentially trying to challenge these motives through early intervention., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Binge eating is characterized by the consumption of a large amount of palatable food in a short period of time and is a core feature of many eating disorders. Patients with eating disorders are also known to display impairments in inhibitory control, cognition and decision-making, which may promote and maintain binge eating symptomology. In the current study, we examined whether rats that were subsequently characterized as displaying a higher propensity to binge eat would show pre-existing deficits in reinforcer devaluation-a paradigm used to examine decision-making following reductions in the value of a food reinforcer. Female rats were first trained to respond on two levers for the delivery of two food reinforcers (sucrose and maltodextrin solutions). At the test stage, rats were provided 1 h access to one of the two reinforcers to allow for devaluation via sensory specific satiety, immediately followed by an extinction test with both levers. Normal rats typically show reductions in responding on the lever associated with the devalued reinforcer (i.e., intact goal-directed responding). Subsequently, we used intermittent access to palatable food to identify high (BE prone [BEP]; n = 14), intermediate (BE neutral [BEN]; n = 48), and low (BE resistant [BER]; n = 13) phenotypes of binge eating. Prior reinforcer devaluation performance showed BEN and BER rats suppressed responding on the lever associated with the devalued reinforcer while BEP rats did not. This insensitivity to instrumental reinforcer devaluation in BEP rats did not reflect impaired sensory-specific satiety as during a food choice test, BEP rats showed a more robust alteration in food preferences following devaluation. Additionally, across all rats sensory specific satiety was correlated with subsequent intake of palatable food. Collectively, these findings suggest dissociable effects of devaluation procedures on instrumental actions and consummatory behaviors in BEP rats, and may indicate that pre-existing differences in goal-directed behavior and sensory-specific satiety contribute to the propensity to overeat palatable food., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The genetics of binge-eating disorder (BED) is an emerging topic and one candidate pathway, namely the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene, may be implicated because of its role in food reward sensitivity and self-regulation of eating. The aims of this study were to examine the independent effects of variants of FTO on binge frequency in women with and without BED and to examine the moderating role of interpersonal attachment in this association., Methods: Secondary data analysis was conducted on a cross-sectional comparison of three groups of women in a trial of group treatment for BED: BED with obesity (n = 73), BED without obesity (n = 55), and normal weight without BED (n = 50). Women were genotyped for five of the most common FTO single-nucleotide polymorphisms, rs9939609, rs8050136, rs3751812, rs1421085, and rs1121980, which have been related to body mass index and energy intake. Binge frequency (Eating Disorder Examination), body composition (bioelectric impedance), and attachment (Attachment Style Questionnaire) were assessed., Results: There were no significant between-group differences for frequencies of FTO alleles, nor were there any significant anthropometric associations. The FTO × attachment interaction was significant whereby, relative to a low-risk FTO genotype, individuals with a high-risk genotype for the SNP rs1421085 and high-avoidant attachment had higher mean binge frequency than those with high genetic risk but low-avoidant attachment (β = -7.96; t = -2.07; P = 0.042)., Conclusions: FTO genotypes associated with risk for obesity and loss of control of eating, specifically rs1421085, may interact with insecure attachment in a way that may exacerbate binge eating among women with BED., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Autonomic nervous system functioning, measured with heart rate variability (HRV), is associated with emotion regulation and likely contributes to binge eating. This study examined the link between HRV and binge eating severity and analyzed changes in HRV as a marker of emotion regulation in individuals with binge eating. Participants (n = 28) with obesity and loss of control eating reported overeating and loss of control episodes and completed an HRV assessment at rest and during a mental stressor. At rest, lower time-domain HRV was linked to more severe loss of control (SDNN B = -0.18, p = 0.03). Frequency-domain HRV was associated with more severe overeating (LFn B = 14.92, p = 0.03; HFn B = -14.81, p = 0.04). Frequency-domain HRV differed between resting and stressed conditions (p's < 0.001). Findings contribute to understanding emotion regulation in binge eating and guide future research and novel intervention development., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Young adulthood is a high-risk period for heavy drinking and binge eating, both of which can impact weight and lead to obesity. Examining motives for drinking alcohol and eating palatable foods may facilitate a more integrated understanding of these behaviors during the college years. The current study tested whether shared or distinct (i.e., behavior-specific) motivational mechanisms may explain the occurrence of reward-driven drinking and eating in young adults., Methods: A sample of college freshmen (N = 103) stratified by sex, race/ethnicity, and heavy drinking status were selected to participate. Participants completed questionnaires measuring alcohol use, eating behavior, and motives assessed by the Drinking Motives Questionnaire-Revised and Palatable Eating Motives Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested whether drinking and eating motives were better represented as single latent motives, or two behavior-specific motives. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the association between motivational factors and behaviors., Results: Behavior-specific CFA models demonstrated stronger model fit and higher factor loadings than single motive models. SEM models indicated that eating to cope with negative emotions, to enhance positive experiences, to obtain social reinforcement, and to conform with peers were significantly associated with binge eating (p values < .001). Enhancement and social drinking motives were significantly associated with number of weekly drinks (p values < .001)., Conclusions: While motives for drinking alcohol and eating palatable foods may satisfy common goals, findings suggest motivational mechanisms may be behavior-specific. Enhancement and social motives may be important factors to target in prevention programs for both drinking and binge eating., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Compulsive binge eating is a hallmark of binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa and is implicated in some obesity cases. Eating disorders are sexually dimorphic, with females more often affected than males. Animal models of binge-like eating based on intermittent access to palatable food exist; but, little is known regarding sex differences or individual vulnerability in these models with respect to the reinforcing efficacy of food, the development of compulsive- and binge-like eating, or associated changes in whole-body metabolism or body composition. Adolescent male (n = 24) and female (n = 32) Wistar rats were maintained on chow or a preferred, high-sucrose, chocolate-flavored diet in continuous or intermittent, extended access conditions. Body weight and composition, intake, fixed- and progressive-ratio operant self-administration, and whole body energy expenditure and respiratory exchange ratios were measured across an 11-week study period. Subgroup analyses were conducted to differentiate compulsive-like "high responder" intermittent access rats that escalated to extreme progressive-ratio self-administration performance vs. more resistant "low responders." Female rats had greater reinforcing efficacy of food than males in all diet conditions and were more often classified as "high responders". In both sexes, rats with intermittent access showed cycling of fuel substrate utilization and whole-body energy expenditure. Further, "high-responding" intermittent access female rats had especially elevated respiratory exchange ratios, indicating a fat-sparing phenotype. Future studies are needed to better understand the molecular and neurobiological basis of the sex and individual differences we have observed in rats and their translational impact for humans with compulsive, binge eating disorders., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the relationships between eating behavior dimensions and psychopathological symptoms among Portuguese undergraduate students., Methods: We studied 258 participants (62.4% women) regarding eating behavior dimensions (emotional, external and binge eating, flexible and rigid control of eating behavior, and eating self-efficacy), psychopathological distress (as assessed by the Brief Symptom Inventory), and body mass index. In addition to studying bivariate associations between eating behavior dimensions and psychopathological subscales and indexes, what we believe to be a novel analytical approach, considering simultaneously the effects of the overall level of psychopathological distress and the relevance of specific symptoms on the eating behavior dimensions., Results: Emotional, external, and binge eating had positive correlations with psychopathological symptomatology, whereas eating self-efficacy was negatively associated., Conclusions: Multivariate analysis showed that the overall level of psychopathological distress (combined with body mass index, among women) had a larger effect on eating behavior than the relevance of specific symptoms., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Housing and enrichment conditions are essential factors to consider when using animal models of behavior, as they can alter the behavior that is under investigation. The goal of this study was to determine the impact of the relatively enriched environment recommended by current animal care guidelines on development and maintenance of binge-type behavior in rats, using the limited access (LA) binge model. Non-food-deprived rats were divided into two groups, enriched and nonenriched, with all rats housed in shoebox cages. Bedding, nesting material, toys, and a solid floor were provided only to the enriched group to create a state of relative enrichment, or RE, compared to the nonenriched conditions historically used in the LA model. Enriched and nonenriched groups were further divided into control and experimental groups. Control rats received access to an optional source of fat (vegetable shortening) for 30min each day (daily access) while experimental rats received 30-min optional fat access on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday only (intermittent access). The four groups were designated C-E (Control-Enriched), C-NE (Control-Nonenriched), I-E (Intermittent-Enriched), and I-NE (Intermittent-Nonenriched). Bingeing in the LA model is established when a group with intermittent access (i.e., the I-E or I-NE group) consumes significantly more vegetable shortening during the limited access period than a group with daily access (i.e., the C-E or C-NE group). Access sessions continued for 8weeks under these conditions, at which time the housing conditions of the I-E and I-NE groups were reversed for an additional 8weeks of access sessions. Intakes of the C-E and C-NE groups were similar and data from these two groups were combined. Relative to this Combined Control Group (CCG), the I-NE group began bingeing in week 3 while the I-E group binged during weeks 6 and 8. Following the reversal at the beginning of week 9, the newly enriched I-NE group ceased bingeing in week 9 but resumed bingeing in weeks 10-16. The newly nonenriched I-E group continued bingeing through the remainder of the study. Intakes of the I-E and I-NE groups were not significantly different at any time during the study. These results indicate that RE delays binge onset; that is, RE increases the time between the first fat access session and the first occurrence of bingeing. However, RE does not significantly alter the amount of fat consumed during binge sessions. Furthermore, addition of RE to a nonenriched group of animals (I-NE) does not reverse established binge behavior. Thus it appears that regardless of enrichment condition, intermittent access to vegetable shortening induces greater consumption of fat than does daily access. However, it is clear that a certain level of austerity in housing conditions is required for rapid development of lasting binge-type eating to occur. In addition, results suggest that it is unlikely that enrichment, to the degree provided in this study, can prevent or reverse binge-type eating in rats., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Binge eating is a specific form of overeating characterized by intermittent, excessive eating. To date, several studies have addressed the effects that bingeing on fat has on the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse, but they have found contradictory and highly variable results. Housing conditions could modulate these results, as most studies employ isolated animals to measure the exact amount of food that is ingested. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of housing conditions on the response of mice to cocaine, modulated by bingeing on a high-fat diet during adolescence. After 40days of binge-eating for 2h, three days a week (PND 29-69), the reinforcing effects of a non-effective dose of cocaine (1mg/kg) was evaluated using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. The anxiolytic profile using the Elevated Plus Maze and circulating leptin and corticosterone levels were also assessed. Our results show a significant escalation in the consumption of a high-fat diet between the first and the last week in both types of housed mice. Among the grouped mice, only those exposed to high-fat binge (HFB) developed CPP. Conversely, isolated mice fed with standard diet were more sensitive to the rewarding effects of a subthreshold dose of cocaine than those fed with HFB. Plasma leptin levels were elevated in both groups that developed CPP. Although isolated animals presented higher corticosterone levels with respect to the grouped ones, anxiety levels did not differ. Therefore, our results highlight the importance of housing conditions on the effects that a high-fat diet exerts on cocaine reward., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Binge eating and binge alcohol intake are behavioral manifestations of pathological feeding and alcohol use disorder (AUD), respectively. Binge-feeding and AUD have high comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders such as depression, which could have important implications for the management of these conditions. Importantly, these behaviors share many common features suggesting a singular etiology. However, the nature by which binge-feeding affects the development or maintenance of AUD is unclear. The present study examined the impact of a binge-feeding from a nutritionally complete high-fat diet (HFD) on initiation and maintenance of alcohol intake, anxiolytic behavior and central genetic changes in brain regions that control alcohol-reinforced behaviors. To do this, male Long-Evans rats received chow (controls) or HFD every three days (HFD-3D) or every day (HFD-ED) for 5weeks. Rodent chow and water were available ad-libitum to all groups throughout the experiment. Following 5weeks of HFD cycling, 20.0% ethanol or 2.0% sucrose intake was evaluated. In addition, anxiety-like behavior was measured using a light-dark box apparatus. Both HFD-3D and -ED groups of rats consumed significantly large amount of food during 2h HFD access sessions and reduced their chow intake in the next 22h. Surprisingly, binge-fed rats displayed attenuated acquisition of alcohol intake whereas sucrose consumption was unaffected. Rats exposed to HFD spent more time in the light side compared to chow controls, indicating that binge-feeding induced anxiolytic effects. In addition, alterations in the brain neurotensin system were observed following HFD exposure. These data indicate that binge-feeding behavior induces behavioral and genetic changes that help explain how alcohol intake is influenced by co-morbid eating disorders., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Some traditional cigarette smokers are motivated to smoke to lose weight or control their weight. The current study evaluated whether a subset of adult e-cigarette users reported vaping to lose or control their weight and examined potential predictors of vaping for weight management., Methods: Adult e-cigarette users (n=459) who reported wanting to lose weight or maintain their weight completed an anonymous online survey. Participants reported on demographics, vaping frequency, e-cigarette nicotine content, cigarette smoking status, preferred e-cigarette/e-liquid flavors, current weight status (i.e., overweight, underweight), use of dieting strategies associated with anorexia and bulimia, lifetime history of binge eating, self-discipline, and impulse control. Binary logistic regression was used to examine whether vaping for weight loss/control was associated with the aforementioned variables., Results: Participants who reported vaping for weight loss/control (13.5%) were more likely to vape frequently (adjOR=1.15; 95% CI [1.00, 1.31]); be overweight (adjOR=2.80; [1.33, 5.90]); restrict calories (adjOR=2.23; [1.13, 4.42]); have poor impulse control (adjOR=0.59; [0.41, 0.86]); and prefer coffee- (adjOR=2.92; [1.47, 5.80]) or vanilla-flavored e-liquid (adjOR=7.44; [1.56, 36.08])., Conclusions: A subset of adult e-cigarette users reported vaping for weight loss/control, raising concerns about expanded, scientifically unsubstantiated uses of e-cigarettes. Identifying where individuals obtain information about vaping for weight loss (e.g., e-cigarette ads, Internet) and whether weight-related motives promote e-cigarette initiation among e-cigarette naïve individuals is important to informing regulatory efforts. Further research also is needed to better understand the link between e-liquid flavors and weight loss motivations., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Eating disorders are severe and disabling mental disorders. The scientific study of eating disorders has expanded dramatically over the past few decades, and provided significant understanding of eating disorders and their treatments. Those significant advances notwithstanding, there is scant knowledge about key processes that are crucial to clinical improvement. The lack of understanding mechanisms that cause, maintain and change eating disorders, currently is the biggest problem facing the science of eating disorders. It hampers the development of really effective interventions that could be fine-tuned to target the mechanisms of change and, therefore, the development of more effective treatments. It is argued here that the science of eating disorders and eating disorder treatment could benefit tremendously from pure experimental studies into its mechanisms of change, that is, experimental psychopathology (EPP). To illustrate why eating disorders need more EPP research, some key symptoms - restriction of intake, binge eating and body overvaluation - will be discussed. EPP studies challenge some generally accepted views and offer a fresh new look at key symptoms. This will, consequently, better inform eating disorder treatments., (Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Previous studies have shown that providing an optional food for a brief period of time to non-food deprived rats on an intermittent basis in the home cage engenders significantly more intake (binge-type behavior) than when the optional food is provided for a brief period on a daily basis. Experiment 1 examined the effects of placing a small operant response requirement on access to an optional food (vegetable shortening) on the establishment of binge-type behavior. Experiment 2 examined the effects of different schedules of reinforcement, a period of abstinence from shortening, and 24h of food deprivation on established binge-type behavior. In Experiment 1 the group of rats with 30-min access to shortening on an intermittent basis in their home cages (IC) consumed significantly more shortening than the group with 30-min daily access in the home cage (DC). The group with 30-min intermittent access in an operant chamber (IO group) earned significantly more reinforcers than the group with 30-min daily access in an operant chamber (DO). In Experiment 2, the IO group earned significantly more reinforcers than the DO group regardless of the response cost, the period of shortening abstinence, and overnight food deprivation. These results demonstrate that while intermittent access generates binge-type eating, the size of the binge (intake) can be altered by different contingency arrangements., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Daily intermittent access to sugar solutions results in intense bouts of sugar intake (i.e. bingeing) in rats. Bingeing on sucrose, a disaccharide of glucose and fructose, has been associated with a "primed" mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathway. Recent studies suggest glucose and fructose engage brain reward and energy-sensing mechanisms in opposing ways and may drive sucrose intake through unique neuronal circuits. Here, we examined in male Sprague-Dawley rats whether or not (1) intermittent access to isocaloric solutions of sucrose, glucose or fructose results in distinctive sugar-bingeing profiles and (2) previous sugar bingeing alters cocaine locomotor activation and/or reward, as determined by conditioned place preference (CPP). To encourage bingeing, rats were given 24-h access to water and 12-h-intermittent access to chow plus an intermittent bottle that contained water (control) or 8% solutions of sucrose, glucose or fructose for 9days, followed by ad libitum chow diet and a 10-day cocaine (15mg/kg; i.p.) CPP paradigm. By day 4 of the sugar-bingeing diet, sugar bingeing in the fructose group surpassed the glucose group, with the sucrose group being intermediate. All three sugar groups had similar chow and water intake throughout the diet. In contrast, controls exhibited chow bingeing by day 5 without altering water intake. Similar magnitudes of cocaine CPP were observed in rats with a history of sucrose, fructose or chow (control) bingeing. Notably, the glucose-bingeing rats did not demonstrate a significant cocaine CPP despite showing similar cocaine-induced locomotor activity as the other diet groups. Overall, these results show that fructose and glucose, the monosaccharide components of sucrose, produce divergent degrees of bingeing and cocaine reward., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to relate social desirability with eating behavior dimensions among higher education students in Portugal, and to assess the effect of social desirability on the association between pairs of eating behavior dimensions., Methods: Data from 266 higher education students (62.8% women) aged between 18 and 27 y were evaluated. Social desirability and several eating behavior dimensions (emotional and external eating, flexible and rigid restraint, binge eating, and eating self-efficacy) were assessed., Results: In both women and men, social desirability showed negative associations with emotional, external, and binge eating, and positive associations with eating self-efficacy. For the majority of the correlations, the control for social desirability led to a decrease in the strength of the association: Social desirability showed a greater effect on the associations between external and binge eating, external eating and eating self-efficacy, binge eating and eating self-efficacy, and emotional and external eating., Conclusion: This study demonstrated that social desirability should be considered when assessing the dimensions of eating behavior, namely eating self-efficacy and dimensions related to overeating., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As binge eating is a common behavior throughout the general population, we hypothesized that body dissatisfaction would produce binge eating via its prediction of dieting. Six hundred eight individuals were nonrandomly recruited from the community. The mean age and body mass index of participants were 34.76 years (SD, 14.41) and 27.82 kg/m(2) (SD, 9.54), respectively. Participants were asked to complete several self-report questionnaires, which included measures of dieting status, binge eating behavior, body dissatisfaction, overvaluation of weight and shape, and self-esteem. The results showed that dieting was a common behavior; 38.1% of participants reported dieting during the past year. Binge eating during the previous 6 months was reported by 9.9% of the sample and was associated with a higher body mass index as well as more frequent dieting. A model including dieting status, overvaluation of weight and shape, shape satisfaction, and self-esteem showed the best fit for the prediction of binge eating behavior. Moreover, those who dieted and overvalued their weight and shape were 2.01 and 2.31 times more likely, respectively, to binge eat. Structural equation modeling revealed that body dissatisfaction caused dietary restraint, thus triggering binge eating. Both dieting and overvaluation of weight and shape are important risk factors for the development of binge eating disorders. Dieting and binge eating are common behaviors that represent a risk for the development of both excess weight and eating disorders. The structural model proposed in this study could be beneficial in understanding this causal relationship., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The hedonic value of food has been conceptualised as a combination of how much a food is liked and how much a food is wanted in a given moment. These psychobiological constructs help to explain choices about which foods to eat and have a primary role in how much energy is consumed. Moreover the processes of liking and wanting for food are not always equivalent and may differ by degree according to the food in question, state of satiety, body composition and individual differences in dispositional eating behaviour traits. Here we report progress on the behavioural quantification of food hedonics in the laboratory setting through assessment of 'explicit liking' and 'implicit wanting' according to perceived fat content and/or sweet taste of common foods. We review recent experimental evidence examining the role of liking and wanting as features of 'trait binge eating' (assessed using the Binge Eating Scale)-a non-clinical psychometric marker for susceptibility to overeating and increased risk of weight gain. Our data show that trait binge eating can be viewed as an ecologically valid, behavioural phenotype of obesity, characterised by reliable psychological and anthropometric characteristics. Enhanced implicit wanting for sweet foods with high fat content is a psychobiological feature of susceptibility to overeating and offers a potential target for improving appetite control., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Binge eating disorders are characterized by discrete episodes of rapid and excessive food consumption. In rats, giving intermittent access to sweet fat food mimics this aspect of binge eating. These models typically employ solid food; however, the total amount consumed depends on motivation, palatability and satiety, which are difficult to dissociate with solid food. In contrast, lick microstructure analysis can be used to dissociate these parameters when the ingestant is a liquid. Therefore, we developed a binge model using a liquid emulsion composed of corn oil, heavy cream and sugar. We show that rats given intermittent access to this high-fat emulsion develop binge-like behavior comparable to that previously observed with solid high-fat food. One feature of this behavior was a gradual escalation in consumption across 2.5 weeks of intermittent access, which was not apparent in rats given lower-fat liquid on the same access schedule. Lick microstructure analysis suggests that this escalation was due at least in part to increases in both motivation to consume and palatability-driven consumption., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Positive reinforcement (e.g., appetitive, rewarding properties) has often been hypothesized to maintain excessive intake of palatable foods. Recently, rats receiving intermittent access to high sucrose diets showed binge-like intake with withdrawal-like signs upon cessation of access, suggesting negative reinforcement mechanisms contribute as well. Whether intermittent access to high fat diets also produces withdrawal-like syndromes is controversial. The present study therefore tested the hypothesis that binge-like eating and withdrawal-like anxiety would arise in a novel model of binge eating based on daily 10-min access to a sweet fat diet (35% fat kcal, 31% sucrose kcal). Within 2-3 weeks, female Wistar rats developed binge-like intake comparable to levels seen previously for high sucrose diets (~40% of daily caloric intake within 10 min) plus excess weight gain and adiposity, but absent increased anxiety-like behavior during elevated plus-maze or defensive withdrawal tests after diet withdrawal. Binge-like intake was unaffected by pretreatment with the corticotropin-releasing factor type 1 (CRF(1)) receptor antagonist R121919, and corticosterone responses to restraint stress did not differ between sweet-fat binge rats and chow-fed controls. In contrast, pretreatment with the cannabinoid type 1 (CB(1)) receptor antagonist SR147778 dose-dependently reduced binge-like intake, albeit less effectively than in ad lib chow or sweet fat controls. A priming dose of the sweet fat diet did not precipitate increased anxiety-like behavior, but rather increased plus-maze locomotor activity. The results suggest that CB(1)-dependent positive reinforcement rather than CRF(1)-dependent negative reinforcement mechanisms predominantly maintain excessive intake in this limited access model of sweet-fat diet binges., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recent research has identified self-monitoring behaviors as important strategies for both initial weight loss and weight loss maintenance, but relatively little is known about adopters and nonadopters of these behaviors. To test our hypothesis that key characteristics distinguish adopters from nonadopters, we examined the demographic characteristics and eating behaviors (eg, restrained, uncontrolled, emotional, and binge eating) associated with more frequent compared with less frequent use of these behaviors. Baseline demographic characteristics and eating behaviors as well as 12-month self-monitoring behaviors (ie, self-weighing, food journaling, monitoring energy intake) were assessed in 123 postmenopausal women enrolled in a dietary weight loss intervention. Logistic regression models were used to test associations of self-monitoring use with demographic characteristics and eating behaviors. Nonwhites, compared with non-Hispanic whites, were less likely to monitor energy intake regularly (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.97; P < .05), controlling for intervention arm and baseline body mass index. Participants with a college degree or higher education were less likely to self-weigh daily (adjusted OR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.13-0.67; P < .01) compared with individuals who attended some college or less. Those with higher baseline binge eating scores were less likely to monitor energy intake (adjusted OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.73-0.97; P < .01) compared with participants with lower binge eating scores. In summary, use of diet-related self-monitoring behaviors varied by race/ethnicity, education, and binge eating score in postmenopausal women who completed a year-long dietary weight loss intervention. Improved recognition of groups less likely to self-monitor may be helpful in promoting these behaviors in future interventions., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

An interactive model implicating high perfectionism, high weight and shape concern, and low self-esteem in the onset and maintenance of bulimic symptoms (Bardone, Vohs, Abramson, Heatherton, & Joiner, 2000; Vohs, Bardone, Joiner, Abramson, & Heatherton, 1999) has received mixed support. This study aimed to replicate the cross-sectional model in a clinical sample of women with eating disorders, and to investigate whether the model could predict changes in binge eating and purging at the end of treatment. Eating disorder outpatients (n=353) completed measures of perfectionism, weight/shape concern, self-esteem, and bulimic symptoms at pre-treatment and discharge. Contrary to the hypotheses, the three-way interaction did not predict binge eating or purging cross-sectionally or prospectively as a moderator of psychotherapy outcome. It was concluded that the robustness of the interactive model seems questionable and may be impacted by an inadequate conceptualization of the perfectionism construct., (Crown Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Research has focused on understanding how overeating can affect brain reward mechanisms and subsequent behaviors, both preclinically and in clinical research settings. This work is partly driven by the need to uncover the etiology and possible treatments for the ongoing obesity epidemic. However, overeating, or non-homeostatic feeding behavior, can occur independent of obesity. Isolating the variable of overeating from the consequence of increased body weight is of great utility, as it is well known that increased body weight or obesity can impart its own deleterious effects on physiology, neural processes, and behavior. In this review, we present data from three selected animal models of normal-weight non-homeostatic feeding behavior that have been significantly influenced by Bart Hoebel's 40+-yr career studying motivation, feeding, reinforcement, and the neural mechanisms that participate in the regulation of these processes. First, a model of sugar bingeing is described (Avena/Hoebel), in which animals with repeated, intermittent access to a sugar solution develop behaviors and brain changes that are similar to the effects of some drugs of abuse, serving as the first animal model of food addiction. Second, another model is described (Boggiano) in which a history of dieting and stress can perpetuate further binge eating of palatable and non-palatable food. In addition, a model (Boggiano) is described that allows animals to be classified as having a binge-prone vs. binge-resistant behavioral profile. Lastly, a limited access model is described (Corwin) in which non-food deprived rats with sporadic limited access to a high-fat food develop binge-type behaviors. These models are considered within the context of their effects on brain reward systems, including dopamine, the opioids, cholinergic systems, serotonin, and GABA. Collectively, the data derived from the use of these models clearly show that behavioral and neuronal consequences of bingeing on a palatable food, even when at a normal body weight, are different from those that result from simply consuming the palatable food in a non-binge manner. These findings may be important in understanding how overeating can influence behavior and brain chemistry., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We sought to further explore the validity of the distinction between objective bulimic episodes (OBEs) and subjective bulimic episodes (SBEs) in the study of bulimic-type eating disorders. Drawing on data obtained at the second, interview phase of a large-scale epidemiological study, we identified mutually exclusive subgroups of women with bulimic-type eating disorders who engaged in regular OBEs but not SBEs (n = 37) or regular SBEs but not OBEs (n = 52). These subgroups were compared on a wide range of outcomes, including socio-demographic characteristics, current levels of eating disorder psychopathology, general psychological distress and impairment in role functioning, current and lifetime impairment in quality of life specifically associated with an eating problem, (self)-recognition of an eating problem, health service utilization and use of psychotropic medication. The only difference between groups was that participants who reported regular OBEs were heavier than those who reported regular SBEs. The findings converge with those of previous research in suggesting that bulimic-type eating disorders characterized by regular SBEs, but not OBEs, do not differ in any clinically meaningful way from those characterized by regular OBEs, but not SBEs. Inclusion of bulimic-type eating disorders characterized by regular SBEs as a provisional category requiring further research in DSM-V appears warranted., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Recent findings suggest sympathetic inhibition during dietary restriction as opposed to increased sympathetic activity during re-feeding. The present study investigated cardiac autonomic regulation and stress reactivity in relation to biochemical markers of dietary restriction status in women diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. We predicted that bulimic individuals (BN) with a biochemical profile indicating dietary restriction exhibit reduced cardiac sympathetic and/or increased vagal activity. We also hypothesized, that BN with a biochemical profile within a normal range (i.e. currently not dieting or malnourished) would show heart rate variability responses (HRV) and reactivity to mental stress indicating increased sympathetic activation compared with non-eating disordered controls. Seventeen female volunteers diagnosed with bulimia nervosa were categorized according to their serum profile (glucose, pre-albumin, IGF-1, TSH, leptin) into currently fasting versus non-fasting and compared with 16 non-eating disordered controls matched for age and BMI. Spectral components of HRV were calculated on heart rate data from resting and mental stress periods (standardized achievement challenge) using autoregressive analysis. Compared to non-fasting BN and controls, fasting BN showed increased vagal and decreased sympathetic modulation during both resting and recovery periods. Cardiac autonomic regulation was not impaired in response to mental challenge. No differences could be found between non-fasting BN and controls. The results confirm the notion of cardiac sympathetic inhibition and vagal dominance during dietary restriction and suggest the specificity of starvation related biochemical changes for cardiac autonomic control. The results are discussed in terms of the higher incidence in cardiac complications in these patients.

Previous research has supported thin-ideal internalization as a partial mediator of the effects of the dissonance eating disorder prevention program. The current study replicated previous findings and examined an additional mediator, body dissatisfaction, hypothesized to account for partial intervention effects. As a secondary goal, we developed a more rigorous and accurate test of mediation that accounted for the temporal, causal interplay between mediator and outcome, and controlled for "reverse mediation". Results from a sample of 71 high-risk females (M age = 19.8, SD = 1.3) who participated in a four-week dissonance intervention supported thin-ideal internalization as a partial mediator of the effects of the dissonance intervention on bulimic symptoms, even after controlling for body dissatisfaction as a second mediator. Furthermore, results supported body dissatisfaction as a partial mediator for bulimic symptoms after controlling for thin-ideal internalization. Significant "reverse mediation" effects suggested the reciprocal influence of some risk factors for bulimia nervosa and bulimic symptoms. These results contribute to our understanding of the mediators in the dissonance intervention, which can help refine eating disorder prevention programs.

Objective: Recent research suggests that binge eating is a common experience in youth. However, it remains largely unknown how children's binge eating presents in everyday life and which psychological factors serve to maintain this binge eating., Methods: Children aged 8-13 years with binge eating (n=59), defined as at least one episode of loss of control (LOC) over eating within the past three months, and 59 matched children without LOC history were recruited from the community. Following a combined random- and event-sampling protocol, children were interviewed about their day-to-day eating behavior, mood, and eating disorder-specific cognitions using child-specific cell phones during a 4-day assessment period in their natural environment., Results: LOC episodes led to a significantly greater intake of energy, particularly from carbohydrates, than regular meals of children with and without LOC eating. While LOC episodes were preceded and followed by cognitions about food/eating and body image, there was minimal evidence that negative mood states were antecedents of LOC eating., Conclusions: The results provide support for the construct validity of LOC eating in children. Maintenance theories of binge eating for adults apply to children regarding eating disorder-specific cognitions, but the association with affect regulation difficulties requires further investigation.

When non-food-deprived rats are given intermittent access to certain substances, consumption of those substances is greater than when more frequent access is provided. The present study examined the effects of three different shortening access conditions on subsequent shortening intake in rats. Each of the three different shortening conditions lasted five weeks and was followed by a five-week period in which shortening access was limited by time (1 h of availability) on either an Intermittent (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) or Daily schedule of access. In Part 1, limiting the quantity of shortening provided during the 1-h period of availability attenuated subsequent 1-h shortening intake in the Intermittent access group, but had no statistically significant effect in the Daily access group. In Part 2, unrestricted availability of shortening (24 h/day-7 days/week) attenuated subsequent 1-h shortening intake in all groups. In Part 3, shortening non-availability for five weeks enhanced subsequent 1-h shortening intake in all groups. It was also shown that rats under an Intermittent, but not a Daily, schedule of access consumed as much shortening during a 1-h period of availability, as was consumed in 24 h when shortening availability was unrestricted. These results demonstrate that while intermittent access is necessary and sufficient to stimulate binge-type eating in rats, the behavioral history can modulate binge size.

Recent advances in personality theory indicate that there are distinct constructs that dispose individuals to rash action and risky behavior, as opposed to one broad trait of impulsivity. Two are emotion based, two represent deficits in conscientiousness, and one is sensation seeking. Previous studies of impulsivity and its relationship to bulimia nervosa have yielded mixed findings. The authors applied this advance in personality theory to the study of bulimia nervosa (BN) to test the hypothesis that the emotion-based disposition of negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed) relates most strongly to BN symptoms. A meta-analysis of 50 articles indicated the following. Negative urgency had by far the largest effect size (weighted r=.38), followed by sensation seeking (weighted r=.16); lack of planning (weighted r=.16) and lack of persistence (weighted r=.08). Methodological moderators of the effect of distinct traits on BN symptoms were the use of scales that precisely measured one construct as opposed to general impulsivity scales that measured several constructs, clinical vs. non-clinical samples, and whether or not the personality scale was translated from its original language or not. Negative urgency appears especially important for BN; more broadly, researchers should consider the role of emotion-based dispositions to rash acts in their risk theories.

Eating disorders have a profound and highly specific impact on psychosocial functioning. The aim of this research was to develop a measure of such secondary impairment. A 16-item, self-report instrument was developed, the Clinical Impairment Assessment (CIA), which was designed to measure such impairment overall and in three specific domains (personal, cognitive, social). The psychometric properties of the instrument were evaluated using data collected in the context of a transdiagnostic treatment trial. The findings consistently supported the utility of the instrument with the CIA being shown to have high levels of internal consistency, construct and discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, and sensitivity to change. The CIA should be of value to clinicians when assessing patients with eating disorders and their response to treatment. It should also help inform epidemiological research.

Studies from this and another laboratory involving an animal model of binge-type behavior have used vegetable shortening containing trans-fats. Due to reformulations by vegetable shortening manufacturers to remove trans-fats from their products, only trans-fat-free shortenings are now available. The goal of the present study was to assess binge-type behavior in rats with trans-fat and trans-free vegetable shortening. Trans-fat-free shortening was provided to three different groups of non-food-deprived male Sprague Dawley rats on different schedules of access: continuous access (24 h/day-7 days/week), daily access (1 h every day), and intermittent access (1 h on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays). Trans-fat shortening was provided to a fourth group on the intermittent access schedule. A fifth group had no shortening access (chow only). Both intermittent groups (trans-fat-free and trans-fat) consumed significantly more shortening during the 1-h period of availability than did the daily group, and there was no difference in shortening intakes between the intermittent groups. These results are identical to previous reports of binge-type behavior in rats using this model. Thus, binge-type behavior in the present behavioral model depends upon the schedule of access, not the presence of trans-fats in the shortening.

Objective: Research suggests that subtyping adults with binge eating disorders by dietary restraint and negative affect predicts comorbid psychopathology, binge eating severity, and treatment outcome. Little research has explored the validity and clinical utility of subtyping youth along these dimensions., Method: Children (aged 8-18 years) reporting loss of control eating (n=159) were characterized based upon measures of dietary restraint and negative affect using cluster analysis, and then compared regarding disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, and parent-reported behavior problems., Results: Robust subtypes characterized by dietary restraint (n=114; 71.7%) and dietary restraint/high negative affect (n=45; 28.3%) emerged. Compared to the former group, the dietary restraint/high negative affect subtype evidenced increased shape and weight concerns, more frequent binge eating episodes, and higher rates of parent-reported problems (all ps<0.05)., Conclusion: Similar to findings from the adult literature, the presence of negative affect may mark a more severe variant of loss of control eating in youth. Future research should explore the impact of dietary restraint/negative affect subtypes on psychiatric functioning, body weight, and treatment outcome.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are related disorders of unknown etiology that most commonly begin during adolescence in women. AN and BN have unique and puzzling symptoms, such as restricted eating or binge-purge behaviors, body image distortions, denial of emaciation, and resistance to treatment. These are often chronic and relapsing disorders, and AN has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder. The lack of understanding of the pathogenesis of this illness has hindered the development of effective interventions, particularly for AN. Individuals with AN and BN are consistently characterized by perfectionism, obsessive-compulsiveness, and dysphoric mood. Individuals with AN tend to have high constraint, constriction of affect and emotional expressiveness, ahendonia and asceticism, whereas individuals with BN tend to be more impulsive and sensation seeking. Such symptoms often begin in childhood, before the onset of an eating disorder, and persist after recovery, suggesting they are traits that create a vulnerability for developing an ED. There is growing acknowledgement that neurobiological vulnerabilities make a substantial contribution to the pathogenesis of AN and BN. Considerable evidence suggests that altered brain serotonin (5-HT) function contributes to dysregulation of appetite, mood, and impulse control in AN and BN. Brain imaging studies, using 5-HT specific ligands, show that disturbances of 5-HT function occur when people are ill, and persist after recovery from AN and BN. It is possible that a trait-related disturbance of 5-HT neuronal modulation predates the onset of AN and contributes to premorbid symptoms of anxiety, obsessionality, and inhibition. This dysphoric temperament may involve an inherent dysregulation of emotional and reward pathways which also mediate the hedonic aspects of feeding, thus making these individuals vulnerable to disturbed appetitive behaviors. Restricting food intake may become powerfully reinforcing because it provides a temporary respite from dysphoric mood. Several factors may act on these vulnerabilities to cause AN to start in adolescence. First, puberty-related female gonadal steroids or age-related changes may exacerbate 5-HT dysregulation. Second, stress and/or cultural and societal pressures may contribute by increasing anxious and obsessional temperament. Individuals with AN may discover that reduced dietary intake, by reducing plasma tryptophan availability, is a means by which they can modulate brain 5-HT functional activity and anxious mood. People with AN enter a vicious cycle which accounts for the chronicity of this disorder because caloric restriction results in a brief respite from dysphoric mood. However, malnutrition and weight loss, in turn, produce alterations in many neuropeptides and monoamine function, perhaps in the service of conserving energy, but which also exaggerates dysphoric mood. In summary, this article reviews findings in brain chemistry and neuroimaging that shed new light on understanding the psychopathology of these difficult and frustrating disorders.

The purpose of this study was to examine the independent and interactive effects of stress reactivity and binge eating (BE) status on changes in the relative reinforcing value of snack foods. The relative reinforcing value of snack foods was assessed in binge eaters and non-binge eaters across a stress-induction session (after 3-minutes of anticipation of giving a speech) or a control day (after 3-minutes of reading magazines), with order of conditions counterbalanced. Subjects were divided into four groups based on scores on the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and changes in perceived stress: Binge eaters/low stress reactivity (n=12), binge eaters/high stress reactivity (n=10), non-binge eaters/low stress reactivity (n=6), non-binge eaters/high stress reactivity (n=9). Dietary restraint, hunger, disinhibition, and hedonics were measured by self-report. Body composition was estimated by body mass index (BMI=weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared). The relative reinforcing value of snack food was influenced differently by binge status and stress reactivity in the stress and control conditions (p<0.05). Binge eaters who reacted to stress earned more snack food points (p<0.001) in stress condition, but non-binge eaters who showed high stress reactivity earned less points for snack food in stress condition (p<0.05). This same pattern of results remained after statistically controlling for body mass index (BMI) and dietary restraint. Findings suggest that reactivity to interpersonal or ego-related stress increases the relative reinforcing value of food in binge eaters but decreases the relative reinforcing value of snack food in non-binge eaters, and these findings appear to be independent of dietary restraint and BMI.

Previous studies have suggested that intermittent exposure to hydrogenated vegetable shortening yields a binge/compensate pattern of feeding in rats. The present study was designed to assess whether rats would exhibit similar patterns of intake when given intermittent access to a nutritionally complete high-fat diet. Four groups of rats received varying exposure to either hydrogenated vegetable shortening or high-fat diet for 8 consecutive weeks. Animals were given daily and intermittent access to determine if the binge/compensate pattern of feeding was frequency dependent. At the conclusion of the study, body composition and plasma leptin levels were assessed to determine effects of diet and binge/compensate intake on endocrine alterations. As predicted, animals receiving intermittent access to high-fat diet displayed the binge/compensate pattern of feeding and appeared to compensate as a result of the caloric overload accompanying a particular binge episode. In addition, exposure to either shortening or high-fat diet led to alterations in body composition, while only exposure to shortening altered plasma leptin levels. These results suggest that binge-intake behavior occurs on a nutritionally complete high-fat diet and that this regimen is capable of altering both body composition and endocrine profile.

Prior work on maladaptive behaviors has cited impulsivity as a risk factor. The concept of impulsivity, however, fails to address the potential role of negative affect in such behaviors. The UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale addresses this weakness by dividing impulsivity into four subscales: Urgency, Sensation Seeking, (lack of) Premeditation, and (lack of) Perseverance. We predicted that urgency, defined as the tendency, specifically in the face of negative affect, to act quickly and without planning, would predict elevations on three maladaptive behaviors--excessive reassurance seeking, drinking to cope, and bulimic symptoms as measured by the Eating Disorder Inventory--in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in an undergraduate sample (N=70). Participants were assessed at two time points, 3-4 weeks apart. Urgency significantly predicted all three outcome variables cross-sectionally at both Time 1 and Time 2. Time 1 urgency significantly predicted Time 2 excessive reassurance seeking. Changes in urgency from Time 1 to Time 2 predicted changes in all three outcome variables. Results indicate a clear cross-sectional relationship between urgency and certain maladaptive behaviors. Additionally, some form of longitudinal relationship may exist between these variables, although the use of residual change scores precluded distinction between true change and change due to error.

Previous studies have reported binge-type consumption of solid vegetable shortening in non-food deprived rats maintained on schedules of limited shortening access. The current study determined if limited access would promote binge-type consumption of sucrose solutions. Adult male rats (6 groups, n = 10 each) were provided with one of three different sucrose concentrations (3.2%, 10%, 32% w/v) for 2 h either everyday (Daily) or Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (Intermittent). A 'binge' during the 2-h access periods was operationally defined as Intermittent intakes significantly greater than Daily intakes. Sucrose initially was provided in a 100 ml glass tube equipped with a stainless-steel drinking spout. Under these conditions, there were no differences in sucrose intake between Daily and Intermittent groups at any of the concentrations. In contrast, when sucrose was provided in a modified 60 ml plastic syringe with the same drinking spout, intakes of the Intermittent groups consuming 3.2% and 10% sucrose were greater than those of the respective Daily groups, indicating that binge-type consumption of sucrose occurred. These results demonstrate that brief, intermittent access to low and moderate concentrations of sucrose can promote binge-type behavior, and the characteristics of the drinking apparatus can affect sucrose intake.

Research has repeatedly verified high co-prevalence rates for bulimia and alcohol abuse. Two heuristics may help explain this co-occurrence. The self-inflation component of Steele and Josephs' myopia model has been evaluated and results have indicated that alcohol consumption results in decreased self-discrepancy. Research on Hull's self-awareness model also has largely found that alcohol decreases self-awareness among highly self-conscious individuals. Body size discrepancy and high self-awareness are believed to be core features of bulimia. Therefore, evidence that alcohol decreases body size discrepancy and self-awareness might clarify high rates of alcohol use in this population. A placebo-control design was used to examine the effect of alcohol on changes in body size discrepancy and self-awareness among female participants (N=57). However, results did not show a significant effect of alcohol on body size discrepancy or self-awareness, regardless of bulimic symptom severity.

This study examined the clinical significance of the loss of control over eating as a key component of eating disorders. It investigated the association of eating-related psychopathology and general psychopathology with objective bulimic episodes (OBEs; experiencing a loss of control while consuming large amounts of food) and subjective bulimic episodes (SBEs; experiencing a loss of control while consuming small/moderate amounts). A community sample of 81 women with a range of disordered eating was recruited: binge-eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, subclinical eating disturbances, or no eating disorders. They were interviewed using the Eating Disorder Examination and completed measures of eating-related and general psychopathology. Both OBE and SBE frequencies correlated significantly with measures of eating-related and general psychopathology, and no significant differences were found between the magnitudes of the correlations with either binge episode type. SBE frequency significantly and independently predicted global eating disorder psychopathology. The loss of control over eating, without consuming large amounts of food, was as closely associated with specific eating disorder psychopathology and general mental health as were traditionally defined OBEs. SBEs may be an important target of treatment and should be considered for future diagnostic classifications of eating disorders.

This study examined the relationship between self-oriented and socially prescribed dimensions of perfectionism (using two measures of perfectionism) and disordered eating assessed across multiple time points in a sample of young women. Study participants (n=406) reported on their levels of perfectionism and on their subsequent patterns of dieting and bulimic symptoms. Self-oriented perfectionism was strongly linked to dietary restraint, whether using the theoretically derived perfectionism dimensions from the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) [Hewitt, P.L., & Flett, G.L. (1991a). Perfectionism in the self and social contexts: Conceptualization, assessment, and association with psychopathology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60, 456-470] or the dimensions derived from the Perfectionism subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) [Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P., & Polivy, J. (1983). Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 15-34]. A less clear-cut pattern emerged when bulimic symptoms were investigated, with both self-oriented (MPS and EDI) and socially prescribed perfectionism (MPS) being associated with bulimic symptoms. After controlling for negative affect, only a self-oriented dimension of perfectionism predicted unique variance in bulimic symptoms. What constitutes maladaptive perfectionism, concerns about using EDI-Perfectionism dimensions interchangeably with MPS dimensions, and future directions are discussed.

The present study sought to replicate an interactive model of global perfectionism, perceived weight status, and self-esteem in predicting bulimic symptom development in a sample of young women [Bardone-Cone, et al. (2006). Predicting bulimic symptoms: An interactive model of self-efficacy, perfectionism, and perceived weight status. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 27-42; Vohs, K. D., et al. (1999). Perfectionism, perceived weight status, and self-esteem interact to predict bulimic symptoms: A model of bulimic symptom development. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 108, 695-700; Vohs, K. D., et al. (2001). Perfectionism, body dissatisfaction, and self-esteem: An interactive model of bulimic symptom development. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 20, 476-497]. The aim was to investigate the role of 'problematic' and 'benign' perfectionism within this model, using data from 95 female university students over a 3-month period. Contrary to hypotheses, multivariate analyses revealed a significant three-way interaction only between 'benign' perfectionism, perceived weight status and self-esteem in predicting change in bulimic symptoms over a 3-month period. The predictive effect of the interaction between 'benign' perfectionism and perceived weight status on bulimic symptoms was strongest for women with high self-esteem, for whom feeling overweight and having perfectionistic attitudes preceded increased bulimic symptoms. These findings suggest that high self-esteem is insufficient to protect against the development of bulimic symptoms when both the perception of oneself as being overweight, and high levels of perfectionistic standards, are present. It would appear that the role of perfectionism within the context of disordered eating is complex.

This study examined the role of friendship networks and peer influences in body image concern, dietary restraint, extreme weight loss behaviours (EWLBs) and binge eating in a large community sample of young adolescent females. Based on girls' self-reported friendship groups, social network analysis was used to identify 173 friendship cliques. Results indicated that clique members shared similar scores on measures of dieting, EWLB and binge eating, but not body image concern. Average clique scores for dieting, EWLB and binge eating, were also correlated significantly with clique averages on measures of perceived peer influence, body mass index and psychological variables. Multiple regression analyses indicated that perceived peer influences in weight-related attitudes and behaviours were predictive of individual girls' level of body image concern, dieting, EWLB use and binge eating. Notably, an individual girl's dieting and EWLB use could be predicted from her friends' respective dieting and EWLB scores. Findings highlight the significance of the peer environment in body image and eating problems during early adolescence.

The present study investigated the efficacy of self-help based on cognitive behaviour therapy in combination with Internet support in the treatment of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. After confirming the diagnosis with an in-person interview, 73 patients were randomly allocated to treatment or a waiting list control group. Treated individuals showed marked improvement after 12 weeks of self-help compared to the control group on both primary and secondary outcome measures. Intent-to-treat analyses revealed that 37% (46% among completers) had no binge eating or purging at the end of the treatment and a considerable number of patients achieved clinically significant improvement on most of the other measures as well. The results were maintained at the 6-month follow-up, and provide evidence to support the continued use and development of self-help programmes.

Past research has suggested that negative affect may be a causal factor for eating disordered behaviors. More specifically, research has shown that anger appears to be one aspect of negative affect that is particularly relevant in bulimic patients. Previous studies have also shown that the relationship between negative affect and eating disordered behaviors may partially depend upon personality variables such as impulsivity. The present study examined whether the relationship between anger and eating disordered behaviors is moderated by impulsivity. Subjects completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol for an average of 2 weeks. Findings revealed that overall antecedent anger level and the variability of antecedent anger predicted binge-eating episodes and that these relationships were moderated by participants' level of impulsivity. These findings suggest that personality variables impact the way that anger and eating behaviors relate. They also suggest that the variability of antecedent anger may be a fruitful avenue for future research for those interested in causal variables associated with bulimia nervosa.

This study was designed to compare risk situations for binge eating vs. heavy drinking among women who struggle with both problems. Participants were 41 women in treatment for an alcohol problem who also self-reported binge eating. Participants completed the Inventory of Binge Eating Situations (IBES; [Baker, J. M. (1998). Binge eating and binge drinking among university women. Unpublished master's thesis, Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada]) and the Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS-42; [Annis, H. M., Graham, J. M., & Davis, C. S. (1987). Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS) user's guide. Toronto, Canada: Addiction Research Foundation]) to measure frequency of binge eating and heavy drinking, respectively, in eight categories of situations. A 2 (substance) x8 (situation) repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant substancexsituation interaction. Further exploration of this interaction indicated that heavy drinking is more likely than binge eating to occur in reward and interpersonal situations involving pleasant emotions, pleasant times with others, social pressure, and conflict with others. In contrast, binge eating and heavy drinking are equally likely to occur in relief situations involving unpleasant emotions, and physical discomfort, as well as in situations involving urges and temptations, and testing control. Implications of findings for the treatment of co-occurring binge eating and heavy drinking in women are discussed.