Binge eating may cause long term obesity

Added on 26/08/10

Author: Sarah Warman – Reporter

We’ve all heard the saying that ‘a moment on the lips means a lifetime on the hips’. Well, a new study has suggested that this could literally be the case for many of us.

The study in Sweden has found that people who binge eat, even for a short period of time, are risking sustained and increased body fat in the future. While we can all work to drop our weight, it is equally important for us to be able to maintain good eating habits to avoid this future weight gain.

Binge eating

The findings of the study were published in the journal, Nutrition & Metabolism. The research team used 18 participants with the average age of 26. The subjects increased their calorie intake by 70%, and were restricted to 5,000 steps per day, over a 4 week period.

The participants put on an average weight of 6.4kgs during the period. 6 months after the weight gain the subjects had managed to achieve weight loss and lose most of the weight that they had gained. However, 12 months later the group had put on an extra 1.5kgs, and an increased amount of body fat.

After 2 years, the research team found that the subjects had gained 3.1kgs on average. These figures were compared to a control group who maintained their usual diet. The subjects in the control group were found to have no such changes in their body weight.

Weight loss difficulties

“The long term difference in body weight in the intervention and control groups suggest that there is an extended effect on fat mass after a short period of large food consumption and minimal exercise” said Asa Ernersson, who led the research.

The research team has suggested that a period of binge eating could change our physiology and make it harder for us to lose weight in the future. As a result, this could lead to binge many people becoming obese in later life due to weight loss difficulties.

It’s not all gloom and doom for us though. There are many ways that we can aim to lose weight, slim down, and maintain our perfect weight once we have reached it.