‘Apple-shaped body women at binge-eating risk’

Women with apple-shaped bodies, those who store more of their fat in their trunk and abdominal regions, may be less satisfied with their bodies which can contribute to binge eating, according to a new study.

The study marks the first investigation of the connections betwe-en fat distribution, body image disturbance and the development of disordered eating. “Eating disorders that are detected early are much more likely to be successfully treated,” said lead author Laura Berner, who completed the research while pursuing a doctoral degree at Drexel University in US. “Our preliminary findings reveal that centralised fat distribution may be an important risk factor for the development of eating disturbance, specifically for loss-of-control eating,” said Berner.

“This suggests that targeting individuals who store more of their fat in the midsection and adapting psychological interventions to focus specifically on body fat distribution could be beneficial for preventing eating disorders,” she said. Mounting evidence suggests that experiencing a sense of loss-of-control during eating, feeling driven or compelled to keep eating or that stopping once one has started is difficult, is the most significant element of binge-eating episodes regardless of how much food is consumed, researchers said. “This sense of loss of control is experienced across a range of eating disorder diagnoses: bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and the binge-eating/purging subtype of anorexia nervosa,” said Berner.