Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Plus Nutritional Counseling in Promoting Weight Loss in People With Binge Eating Disorder
Condition: Binge Eating Disorder; Obesity; Overweight
MeSH terms: Overweight; Bulimia; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Binge-Eating Disorder
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      This study will evaluate the effectiveness of adding nutritional counseling to cognitive
      behavioral therapy in treating obese people with binge eating disorder.
    

Detailed description: 
      Binge eating disorder (BED) is one of the most common eating disorders, with millions of
      affected Americans. The majority of people who binge eat are mildly to severely overweight,
      but people of normal weight can also have BED. People with BED frequently eat excessive
      amounts of food in a short period of time, often feeling a loss of control over their urge to
      eat. Following a binge eating episode, the person usually experiences feelings of guilt,
      depression, embarrassment, and disgust. Beyond the psychological distress caused by binge
      eating, people who binge eat are at a higher risk for more serious health problems associated
      with weight gain, including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol,
      and stroke. Previous studies on BED have found cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to be the
      most effective treatment in improving binge eating habits, attitudinal features of eating
      disorders, and psychological functioning. However, CBT alone has not been nearly as effective
      in producing clinically significant weight loss in those who are overweight. This study will
      evaluate the effectiveness of adding nutritional counseling to CBT in treating obese people
      with BED.

      Participants in this 1-year study will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups:
      CBT plus general nutrition counseling (CBT+GN) or CBT plus low energy density diet counseling
      (CBT+LED). All participants will receive 21 hourly individual treatment sessions over a
      6-month period. Sessions will be weekly for Weeks 1 to 16 and every other week for Weeks 17
      to 26. Each treatment session will include 40 minutes of CBT and 20 minutes of nutritional
      counseling (GN or LED). Assessments will include interviews and questionnaires about symptoms
      and height and weight measurements. These assessments will occur at baseline, monthly during
      treatment, and at 6 months post-treatment. At the end of treatment, participants will also
      have blood drawn to determine lipid levels and will be asked to complete two food intake
      interviews by phone.
    

Intervention name(s): Cognitive behavioral therapy plus general nutrition counseling (CBT+GN); Cognitive behavioral therapy plus low energy density diet counseling (CBT+LED)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): CBT+GN includes 21 sessions over 6 months. Each treatment session includes 40 minutes of CBT and 20 minutes of nutritional counseling.; CBT+LED includes 21 sessions over 6 months. Each treatment session includes 40 minutes of CBT and 20 minutes of nutritional counseling that centers upon eating higher volumes of low-calorie foods.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Binge Eating Disorder; BED; Nutrition; Energy Density; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; CBT