Satiety and test meal intake among women with binge eating disorder

Objective: The purpose of the study was to measure test meal consumption and the changes in hunger and fullness during a test meal in obese individuals with and without binge eating disorder (BED) and normal-weight controls. Method: Twelve women with BED, 12 obese control participants, and 12 normal-weight control participants participated in two single-item test meal sessions. In one session participants were instructed to "binge," and the other eat a normal meal. Participants made ratings of hunger and fullness on visual analog scales after every 75-g increment of food. Results: In comparison to obese or normal-weight controls, patients with BED consumed significantly more food to reach a similar level of fullness or hunger. Conclusion: Individuals with BED consumed significantly more food and showed blunted changes in hunger and fullness during both the binge and non-binge meals. These findings suggest that individuals with BED may have disturbances in satiety that in some ways resemble those described among individuals with bulimia nervosa.