title: Hunger and binge eating: a meta-analysis of studies using ecological momentary assessment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Binge eating has been associated with increased hunger, suggesting a role for impaired appetite regulation. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is ideally suited to examine whether hunger is a precipitant of binge eating but results from such studies have not been systematically reviewed. This study provides a meta-analysis of EMA studies that have examined hunger as an antecedent of binge eating.
  
  
  METHODS
  Electronic database and manual searches produced seven EMA studies with N = 180 participants. Meta-analyses were conducted to compare: (1) pre-binge eating hunger to average ratings of hunger, and (2) pre-binge eating hunger to hunger before regular eating.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Across studies, hunger was significantly greater before binge eating compared with average hunger ratings, but was significantly lower before binge eating compared with before other eating episodes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Excessive hunger does not appear to be a precipitant of binge eating because higher levels of hunger are observed before regular eating episodes. However, lower hunger before food consumption may contribute to the experience of a particular eating episode as a binge.
authors: Department of Psychology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa , USA. alissa.haedt.matt@gmail.com
authors: Alissa A
authors: AA
authors: Haedt-Matt
authors: Pamela K
authors: PK
authors: Keel
mesh_terms: D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology; D002032:Bulimia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology*