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Survey study, 2013

Do body weight and eating control affect whether hormones cause emotional eating?

Hormones affect emotional eating. Body weight does not change this relationship, though strict eating control might have a small effect.

Moderate study design 196 women

What they did

196 women reported emotional eating daily for 45 days and provided saliva samples for hormone measurement. Body weight and eating control were measured 3 times and averaged.

What they found

Changes in estradiol and progesterone combined predicted emotional eating. Body weight did not change this relationship. Eating control showed a trend toward strengthening estradiol's effects in women who restrict eating highly, but this was not definitive.

What it means for you

Hormones cause emotional eating fluctuations. Body weight and strict eating control don't fully explain individual differences, though eating control may play a small role in some women. More research is needed.

196

Women studied

45 days

Study duration

hormones

Predicted eating patterns

About the study

Original title
Ovarian hormones and emotional eating associations across the menstrual cycle: an examination of the potential moderating effects of body mass index and dietary restraint
Authors
Klump KL, Keel PK, Burt SA et al.
Journal
The International journal of eating disorders
Year
2013
Study design
Survey study
Participants
196
What was tested
None - tracked natural hormone and eating patterns
Open access
Yes

Topics