Adiposity and eating behaviors in patients under second generation antipsychotics.
BACKGROUND
Second generation antipsychotics (SGA) induce substantial weight gain but the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon remain speculative.


OBJECTIVE
To explore eating behaviors among SGA-treated patients and compare them with nonschizophrenic healthy sedentary individuals (controls).


METHODS
Appetite sensations were recorded before and after a standardized breakfast using visual analog scales. Three hours after breakfast, a buffet-type meal was offered to participants to document spontaneous food intake and food preferences. Satiety quotients (SQs) were calculated to determine the satiation of both meals and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) was used to document eating behaviors. Body composition and abdominal fat distribution were assessed.


RESULTS
Compared with controls (n = 20), SGA-treated patients (n = 18) showed greater adiposity indices (P < or = 0.04). Patients' degree of hunger was also higher following the standardized breakfast (P = 0.03). Moreover, patients had significantly higher cognitive dietary restraint, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger scores than the reference group (P < or = 0.05). Disinhibition in the reference group was positively associated with hunger triggered by external cues (r = 0.48, P = 0.03) whereas internal cues seem to mainly regulate emotional susceptibility to disinhibition in patients (r = 0.56, P = 0.02). Higher strategic restraint behavior in patients was associated with decreased satiation right after the buffet-type meal (r = -0.56, P = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
These exploratory findings suggest that patients under SGA seem to develop disordered eating behaviors in response to altered appetite sensations and increased susceptibility to hunger, a factor which may influence the extent of body weight gain triggered by these drugs.
Hôpital Laval Research Centre, Québec, Québec, Canada.
Mélissa
M
Blouin
Angelo
A
Tremblay
Marie-Eve
ME
Jalbert
Hélène
H
Venables
Roch-Hugo
RH
Bouchard
Marc-André
MA
Roy
Natalie
N
Alméras
D050154:Adiposity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001066:Appetite / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents