An assessment of daily food intake in participants with anorexia nervosa in the natural environment.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the caloric intake in women with anorexia nervosa (AN) and how it varies by day as a function of the presence or absence of binge eating and/or purging behaviors.


METHODS
Female participants with AN (n = 84, mean age = 24.4, range 18-51) were recruited from three different sites. Data on food intake were obtained through the use of 24-h dietary recall using the Nutritional Data Systems for Research, and data on binge eating and purging behaviors were collected on palmtop computers using an ecological momentary assessment paradigm. Daily macronutrient intake was compared on days during which binge eating and/or purging behaviors did or did not occur.


RESULTS
On days during which binge eating and purging behaviors both occurred, participants reported significantly greater kilocalorie intake when compared with days when neither behavior occurred, or when only binge eating or purging occurred. Binge eating episodes were only modest in size on days when purging did not occur. Energy intake overall was higher than expected.


CONCLUSIONS
Intake on days where binge eating occurred varied dramatically based on whether or not purging occurred. Whether markedly increased binge eating intake was causally related to purging is unclear. Nonetheless eating episodes were at times quite large and equivalent to those reported by participants with bulimia nervosa in other research.
Burd
Carlye
C
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
Mitchell
James E
JE
Crosby
Ross D
RD
Engel
Scott G
SG
Wonderlich
Stephen A
SA
Lystad
Chad
C
Le Grange
Daniel
D
Peterson
Carol B
CB
Crow
Scott
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D006801:Humans; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D014839:Vomiting / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult