title: Children's binge eating and development of metabolic syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Binge eating predisposes children to excessive weight gain. However, it is unknown if pediatric binge eating predicts other obesity-associated adverse health outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between binge eating and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Children aged 5-12 years at high risk for adult obesity, either because they were overweight/obese when first examined or because their parents were overweight/obese, were recruited from Washington, DC and its suburbs. Children completed a questionnaire assessment of binge eating at baseline and underwent measurements of MetS components at baseline and at a follow-up visit approximately 5 years later. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in a subset.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 180 children were studied between July 1996 and August 2010. Baseline self-reported binge eating presence was associated with a 5.33 greater odds of having MetS at follow-up (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.47, 19.27, P=0.01). The association between binge eating and body mass index (BMI) only partially explained changes in MetS components: baseline binge eating predicted higher follow-up triglycerides, even after accounting for baseline triglycerides, baseline BMI, BMI change, sex, race, baseline age and time in study (P = 0.05). Also, adjusting for baseline VAT and demographics, baseline binge eating predicted greater follow-up L(2-3) VAT (P = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children's reports of binge eating predicted development of MetS, worsening triglycerides and increased VAT. The excessive weight gain associated with children's binge eating partly explained its adverse metabolic health outcomes. Reported binge eating may represent an early behavioral marker upon which to focus interventions for obesity and MetS.
authors.affiliation: Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, Hatfield Clinical Research Center, Bethesda, MD 20892-1103, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanofsky-Kraff
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Shomaker
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sebring
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dellavalle
authors.forename: S Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Yanovski
authors.forename: V S
authors.initials: VS
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yanovski
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002032:Bulimia / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004219:District of Columbia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010290:Parents; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015430:Weight Gain