Appetite Hormones in Binge Eating Disorder
Condition: Binge Eating Disorder
MeSH terms: Bulimia; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Binge-Eating Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study investigates the hormones that the body produces in response to food intake and in
      response to stress, and the way that stress influences food intake. In particular, it
      compares the hormone levels and food intake of people with and without binge eating disorder.
      In order to find out how these appetite- and stress-related hormones are linked to brain
      activity, the study also includes an fMRI scan, a non-invasive procedure that looks at which
      regions of the brain are most active during a food-related scenario.
    

Detailed description: 
      The objectives are to study appetite-related hormones regulating food intake under normal
      conditions and following a stressor in the morning and evening (when most binge episodes
      occur), to help reveal biological mechanisms in BED. We plan to enroll: 32 obese Ss with BED
      (16m, 16f), 32 obese Ss without BED (16m, 16f) and 32 normal-weight Ss without BED (16m,
      16f). Height, weight, waist circumference, and body fat will be assessed during a first
      appointment. On two different days separated by at least a week, Ss will ingest a fixed
      liquid meal once in the morning and once in the evening. Appetite ratings and collections of
      blood and saliva to measure hormones will continue for 2 hours after the fixed meal. This
      will be followed on each day by a laboratory stress protocol (Socially Evaluated Cold Pressor
      Test; SECPT), and then consumption of an ad libitum meal 30 minutes later. On one day during
      the protocol, the participant will collect saliva using a swab immediately after waking and
      again at 08.00. In order to capture more naturalistic eating episodes, all Ss will
      additionally record food intake, rate appetite, and measure salivary cortisol before and
      after one evening meal, and one after-dinner snack (or after-dinner binge for BED Ss). On two
      additional days, we will use fMRI to assess brain activation in response to high-palatability
      food (HPF) relative to low-palatability food (LPF) or non-food (NF) visual cues following the
      SECPT and a control condition using warm water. On each day, following the fMRI scan, an ad
      libitum meal will be consumed.
    

Intervention name(s): Postprandial responses; Cold pressor test; Test meal
Intervention type(s): Procedure; Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Subjects ingest a fixed meal, with blood draws to measure appetite hormone levels taken before and after the meal.; Subjects then undergo the Socially-Evaluated Cold Pressor Test, with blood draws to measure appetite hormone levels taken before and after the test.; Subjects are presented with an ad libitum buffet meal.
Other intervention name(s): Liquid meal replacement is Boost (Nestle Nutrition).
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Appetite Hormones; Binge Eating Disorder; Obesity; Cortisol; Stress