Relationship between desired weight constructs and eating disorder severity following treatment for anorexia nervosa

Detrimental Effects of Online Pro-Eating Disorder Communities on Weight Loss and Desired Weight: Longitudinal Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Online pro-eating disorder (pro-ED) communities are considered harmful because of their detrimental effects on their users' body dissatisfaction, dieting, and help seeking. To date, it is unknown to which extent participation in pro-ED communities affects users' body weight and desired weight loss.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the changes in the current and desired body weight of users of a pro-ED community (r/proed) on the social media website Reddit over time.

METHODS

Data on 1170 users and the unsolicited weight information they shared with the pro-ED community were collected over a period of 15 months. Linear growth models were used to model changes in the users' current and desired BMI over time.

RESULTS

Both current and desired BMI decreased over time, with a predicted rate of 0.087 and 0.015 BMI points per week, respectively. Weight loss was moderated by the users' activity level in the community, with more active users losing more weight. Users with a higher baseline BMI experienced greater weight loss, but even users with a very low baseline weight (BMI <17 kg/m²) lost weight during their participation. In addition, users decreased their desired weight over time, with many pursuing extremely low, unrealistic weight goals. Changes in the desired weight were moderated by the baseline current BMI and baseline desired BMI. Users with higher desired weight and lower body weight at baseline decreased their desired weight more over time.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to demonstrate the detrimental effects of pro-ED communities in a longitudinal study based on a large data set of user-generated online data. The results extend the literature detailing the harmful effects of online pro-ED communities by showing users' weight loss, decreases in desired weight, and that higher activity levels lead to greater weight loss. Users could be driven to pursue very low, unrealistic weight loss goals by images of very thin bodies presented in these communities.

Individuals Diagnosed with Binge-Eating Disorder Have DNA Hypomethylated Sites in Genes of the Metabolic System: A Pilot Study

Binge-eating disorder, recently accepted as a diagnostic category, is differentiated from bulimia nervosa in that the former shows the presence of binge-eating episodes and the absence of compensatory behavior. Epigenetics is a conjunct of mechanisms (like DNA methylation) that regulate gene expression, which are dependent on environmental changes. Analysis of DNA methylation in eating disorders shows that it is reduced. The present study aimed to analyze the genome-wide DNA methylation differences between individuals diagnosed with BED and BN. A total of 46 individuals were analyzed using the Infinium Methylation EPIC array. We found 11 differentially methylated sites between BED- and BN-diagnosed individuals, with genome-wide significance. Most of the associations were found in genes related to metabolic processes (ST3GAL4, PRKAG2, and FRK), which are hypomethylated genes in BED. Cg04781532, located in the body of the PRKAG2 gene (protein kinase AMP-activated non-catalytic subunit gamma 2), was hypomethylated in individuals with BED. Agonists of PRKAG2, which is the subunit of AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), are proposed to treat obesity, BED, and BN. The present study contributes important insights into the effect that BED could have on PRKAG2 activation.

Individualisierte Therapieplanung mithilfe des Gewichtsmappings bei Anorexia nervosa

Die Anorexia nervosa ist eine seltene, schwerwiegende Erkrankung, deren Therapie bislang oft nur mäßig wirksam ist. Stagnierende Verläufe oder ein erhebliches Auf und Ab in der Gewichtsentwicklung zwischen stationären Behandlungen und dem häuslichen Transfer sind verbreitet und können stationäre Aufnahmen bzw. Wiederaufnahmen notwendig machen. Im Folgenden werden daher Techniken des Gewichtsmappings vorgestellt, die eine individualisierte Therapieplanung ermöglichen. Hierzu zählt zum einen die retrospektive Analyse des Lifecharts, in der die Gewichtsentwicklung über die Lebenspanne aufgezeigt wird und die damit Schweregrad der Essstörung, Krankheitsdauer und -verlauf sowie transdiagnostisch relevante Prozesse veranschaulichen kann. Zum anderen gehört dazu die prospektive Technik des Gewichtsmappings, die in einem standardisierten Vorgehen die individuell relevanten Gewichtsmarker erfasst und visualisiert. Diese diagnostischen Informationen können eine personalisierte Therapieplanung unterstützen, die sowohl den Zeitverlauf als auch den Schwierigkeitsgrad des Bewältigungsprozesses antizipiert. Mithilfe der Techniken des Gewichtsmanagements kann die Expositionsbehandlung zielgerichtet therapeutisch angeleitet und begleitet werden. Dabei werden die Arbeit mit Intervallmodulen und ihre Rolle für eine bewältigungsorientierte Expositionsbehandlung diskutiert.

Desired weight and treatment outcome among adolescents in a novel family-based partial hospitalization program

The purpose of the current study was to investigate desired weight percentage and weight difference percentage and their association with treatment outcome in a novel family-based partial hospitalization program. Twenty-six adolescents with anorexia nervosa or subthreshold anorexia nervosa between the ages of 12 and 19 completed the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) at intake and upon completion from a partial hospitalization program in which parents played a large role in the recovery process, consistent with family-based treatment principles. Lower desired weight percentage at baseline was associated with higher scores on the restraint subscale of the EDE at end of treatment. Higher weight difference percentage (greater desire to lose weight) at baseline was associated with higher scores on all EDE subscales and global score at end of treatment. Neither desired weight percentage nor weight difference percentage at baseline were associated with treatment dropout or percent expected body weight at end of treatment. In a family-based program, participants' desired weight may be related to eating disorder thoughts (for example, shape or weight concerns) but not to behavioral outcomes such as weight gain or treatment dropout, which may be more directly under the influence of the parents.