Binge eating and weight loss outcomes in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes: results from the Look AHEAD trial.
BACKGROUND
Binge eating (BE) is common in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, but little is known about how BE affects weight loss in this population.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether BE was related to 1-year weight losses in overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes participating in an ongoing clinical trial.


METHODS
The Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial is a randomized controlled trial examining the long-term effect of intentional weight loss on cardiovascular disease in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes. A total of 5145 overweight and obese individuals aged 45 to 76 years with type 2 diabetes participated in this study.


METHODS
Participants were randomly assigned to an intensive lifestyle intervention or to enhanced usual care (a diabetes support and education control condition).


METHODS
At baseline and 1 year, participants had their weight measured and completed a fitness test and self-report measures of BE and dietary intake. Four groups were created based on BE status at baseline and 1 year (yes/yes, no/no, yes/no, and no/yes). Analyses controlled for baseline differences between binge eaters and non-binge eaters.


RESULTS
Most individuals (85.4%) did not report BE at baseline or 1 year (no/no), 7.5% reported BE only at baseline (yes/no), 3.7% reported BE at both times (yes/yes), and 3.4% reported BE only at 1 year (no/yes), with no differences between intensive lifestyle intervention and diabetes support and education conditions (P = .14). Across intensive lifestyle intervention and diabetes support and education, greater weight losses were observed in participants who stopped BE at 1 year (mean [SE] weight loss, 5.3 [0.4] kg) and those who reported no BE at either time (mean [SE] weight loss, 4.8 [0.1] kg) than in those who continued BE (mean [SE] weight loss, 3.1 [0.6] kg) and those who began BE at 1 year (mean [SE] weight loss, 3.0 [0.6] kg) (P < .001). Post hoc analyses suggested that these differences were due to changes in caloric intake.


CONCLUSIONS
Overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes who stop BE appear to be just as successful at weight loss as non-binge eaters after 1 year of treatment.


BACKGROUND
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00017953.
Gorin
Amy A
AA
Department of Psychology, Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention, University of Connecticut, 2006 Hillside Rd, Unit 1248, Storrs, CT 06269-1248, USA. amy.gorin@uconn.edu
Niemeier
Heather M
HM
Hogan
Patricia
P
Coday
Mace
M
Davis
Cralen
C
DiLillo
Vicki G
VG
Gluck
Marci E
ME
Wadden
Thomas A
TA
West
Delia S
DS
Williamson
Donald
D
Yanovski
Susan Z
SZ
D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003710:Demography; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015995:Prevalence; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D015431:Weight Loss