Binge Eating in Normal Weight and Overweight Individuals

Abstract

The incidence of emotional distress-related eating was investigated through a structured interview given to a sample of 49 men and 51 women, 21 to 55 yr. of age. The interview was designed to uncover the incidence of emotional distress-related eating, types of situations under which it occurs, and its relationship to body weight. Results indicated emotional distress-related eating occurs frequently particularly among women (51% reported binge eating at least 3 times per month). There was a great deal of individual variability in motives given for binge eating but typically only one or two motives applied to a given subject. There was no relationship between amount of overweight and binge eating. 27% of subjects reported regularly eating in response to environmental stimuli. The implications for psychosomatic and externality theories of obesity are discussed.