title: A prospective test of the relation between weight change and risk for bulimia nervosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Prospectively investigate whether weight gain or weight loss increases risk for onset of binge eating and purging in adolescent women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Diagnostic interviews and direct measures of body mass were completed by 496 adolescent women annually for 8 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Substantial weight gain or weight loss during the study produced a sevenfold increase in risk for future onset of threshold or subthreshold bulimia nervosa (BN) relative to weight-stable participants, though the low incidence rate limited statistical power. Those who showed onset of threshold/subthreshold BN experienced greater increases in weight in the 2 years before onset of their eating disorder relative to healthy comparison participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first prospective study to demonstrate that weight gain and weight loss may both increase risk for future onset of bulimic pathology. Results suggest that young women who have difficulty limiting their dietary intake are at increased risk for BN, an eating disorder characterized by loss of control over eating.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102, USA.
authors.forename: J Graham
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Meghan L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Butryn
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stice
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lowe
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D014839:Vomiting / Q000175:diagnosis; D015430:Weight Gain; D015431:Weight Loss