Dieting and Eating Disorders in Obese Women

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine examined whether dieting would elicit binge eating and mood disturbances in individuals free of these complications before the study began.

One hundred twenty-three obese women were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group consisted of a 1,000-calorie diet that included four servings of liquid meal replacement. The second group had a 1,200- to 1,500-calorie balanced deficit diet of conventional foods. The third group had a nondiet approach that discouraged energy restriction.

Researchers found that during the first 20 weeks, there were no significant differences among groups in the number of women who had binge episodes. At week 28, significantly more cases of binge eating were observed in group one than in the other two groups. No differences, however, were observed between the groups at weeks 40 or 65. At no time did any participant meet criteria for binge eating disorder.