Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Pediatric Original Article
  • Published:

Children's binge eating and development of metabolic syndrome

International Journal of Obesity volume 36, pages 956–962 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Binge eating predisposes children to excessive weight gain. However, it is unknown if pediatric binge eating predicts other obesity-associated adverse health outcomes.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between binge eating and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children.

Method:

Children aged 5–12 years at high risk for adult obesity, either because they were overweight/obese when first examined or because their parents were overweight/obese, were recruited from Washington, DC and its suburbs. Children completed a questionnaire assessment of binge eating at baseline and underwent measurements of MetS components at baseline and at a follow-up visit approximately 5 years later. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in a subset.

Results:

In all, 180 children were studied between July 1996 and August 2010. Baseline self-reported binge eating presence was associated with a 5.33 greater odds of having MetS at follow-up (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.47, 19.27, P=0.01). The association between binge eating and body mass index (BMI) only partially explained changes in MetS components: baseline binge eating predicted higher follow-up triglycerides, even after accounting for baseline triglycerides, baseline BMI, BMI change, sex, race, baseline age and time in study (P=0.05). Also, adjusting for baseline VAT and demographics, baseline binge eating predicted greater follow-up L2−3 VAT (P=0.01).

Discussion:

Children's reports of binge eating predicted development of MetS, worsening triglycerides and increased VAT. The excessive weight gain associated with children's binge eating partly explained its adverse metabolic health outcomes. Reported binge eating may represent an early behavioral marker upon which to focus interventions for obesity and MetS.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Anon. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR, 4th edn. American Psychiatric Association: Washington, DC, 2000.

  2. Tanofsky-Kraff M . Binge eating among children and adolescents. In: Jelalian E, Steele R (eds). Handbook of Child and Adolescent Obesity. Springer: New York, 2008, pp 41–57.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Field AE, Austin SB, Taylor CB, Malspeis S, Rosner B, Rockett HR et al. Relation between dieting and weight change among preadolescents and adolescents. Pediatrics 2003; 112: 900–906.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Tanofsky-Kraff M, Cohen ML, Yanovski SZ, Cox C, Theim KR, Keil M et al. A prospective study of psychological predictors of body fat gain among children at high risk for adult obesity. Pediatrics 2006; 117: 1203–1209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) final report. Circulation 2002; 106: 3143–3421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Fernández JR, Redden DT, Pietrobelli A, Allison DB . Waist circumference percentiles in nationally representative samples of African-American, European-American, and Mexican-American children and adolescents. J Pediatr 2004; 145: 439–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hickman TB, Briefel RR, Carroll MD, Rifkind BM, Cleeman JI, Maurer KR et al. Distributions and trends of serum lipid levels among United States children and adolescents ages 4–19 years: data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Prev Med 1998; 27: 879–890.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Anon. Update on the 1987 Task Force Report on High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents: a working group report from the National High Blood Pressure Education Program. National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group on Hypertension Control in Children and Adolescents [see comments]. Pediatrics 1996; 98 (Part 1): 649–658.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Gustafson JK, Yanoff LB, Easter BD, Brady SM, Keil MF, Roberts MD et al. The stability of metabolic syndrome in children and adolescents. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94: 4828–4834.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Li S, Chen W, Srinivasan SR, Bond MG, Tang R, Urbina EM et al. Childhood cardiovascular risk factors and carotid vascular changes in adulthood: the Bogalusa Heart Study. JAMA 2003; 290: 2271–2276.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Morrison JA, Friedman LA, Gray-McGuire C . Metabolic syndrome in childhood predicts adult cardiovascular disease 25 years later: the Princeton Lipid Research Clinics Follow-up Study. Pediatrics 2007; 120: 340–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Morrison JA, Friedman LA, Wang P, Glueck CJ . Metabolic syndrome in childhood predicts adult metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus 25 to 30 years later. J Pediatr 2008; 152: 201–206.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Huang TT, Nansel TR, Belsheim AR, Morrison JA . Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of pediatric metabolic syndrome components in relation to adult metabolic syndrome: the Princeton LRC follow-up study. J Pediatr 2008; 152: 185–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Lourenco BH, Arthur T, Rodrigues MD, Guazzelli I, Frazzatto E, Deram S et al. Binge eating symptoms, diet composition and metabolic characteristics of obese children and adolescents. Appetite 2008; 50: 223–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Roehrig M, Masheb RM, White MA, Grilo CM . The metabolic syndrome and behavioral correlates in obese patients with binge eating disorder. Obesity (Silver Spring, MD) 2009; 17: 481–486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Sierra-Johnson J, Unden AL, Linestrand M, Rosell M, Sjogren P, Kolak M et al. Eating meals irregularly: a novel environmental risk factor for the metabolic syndrome. Obesity (Silver Spring, MD) 2008; 16: 1302–1307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Hudson JI, Lalonde JK, Coit CE, Tsuang MT, McElroy SL, Crow SJ et al. Longitudinal study of the diagnosis of components of the metabolic syndrome in individuals with binge-eating disorder. Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91: 1568–1573.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Kuczmarski RJ, Ogden CL, Guo SS, Grummer-Strawn LM, Flegal KM, Mei Z et al. 2000 CDC Growth Charts for the United States: methods and development. Vital Health Stat 11; 2002: 1–190.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Johnson WG, Grieve FG, Adams CD, Sandy J . Measuring binge eating in adolescents: adolescent and parent versions of the questionnaire of eating and weight patterns. Int J Eat Disord 1999; 26: 301–314.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Spitzer RL, Yanovski SZ, Marcus MD . The Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-Revised (QEWP-R). State Psychiatric Institute: New York, 1993.

  21. Morgan CM, Yanovski SZ, Nguyen TT, McDuffie J, Sebring NG, Jorge MR et al. Loss of control over eating, adiposity, and psychopathology in overweight children. Int J Eat Disord 2002; 31: 430–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. National Center for Health Statistics. NHANES III Anthropometric Procedures Video. US Government Printing Office: Washington, DC, 1996; Stock Number 017-022-01335-5.

  23. Butte NF, Comuzzie AG, Cole SA, Mehta NR, Cai G, Tejero M et al. Quantitative genetic analysis of the metabolic syndrome in Hispanic children. Pediatr Res 2005; 58: 1243–1248.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Cruz ML, Weigensberg MJ, Huang TT, Ball G, Shaibi GQ, Goran MI . The metabolic syndrome in overweight Hispanic youth and the role of insulin sensitivity. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004; 89: 108–113.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Vikram NK, Misra A, Pandey RM, Luthra K, Wasir JS, Dhingra V . Heterogeneous phenotypes of insulin resistance and its implications for defining metabolic syndrome in Asian Indian adolescents. Atherosclerosis 2006; 186: 193–199.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Whincup PH, Gilg JA, Donald AE, Katterhorn M, Oliver C, Cook DG et al. Arterial distensibility in adolescents: the influence of adiposity, the metabolic syndrome, and classic risk factors. Circulation 2005; 112: 1789–1797.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Behrens JT . Principles and procedures of exploratory data analysis. Psychol Methods 1997; 2: 131–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Tukey JW . Exploratory Data Analysis. Addison-Wesley: Reading, MA, 1977.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Schafer JL, Graham JW . Missing data: our view of the state of the art. Psychol Methods 2002; 7: 147–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Allison PD . Missing data. In: Millsap RE, Maydeu-Olivares A (eds). The SAGE Handbook of Quantitative Methods in Psychology. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA, 2009, pp 72–89.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  31. Li S, Chen W, Srinivasan SR, Bond MG, Tang R, Urbina EM et al. Childhood cardiovascular risk factors and carotid vascular changes in adulthood: The Bogalusa Heart Study. J Am Med Assoc 2003; 290: 2271–2276.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Theim KR, Tanofsky-Kraff M, Salaita CG, Haynos AF, Mirch MC, Ranzenhofer LM et al. Children's descriptions of the foods consumed during loss of control eating episodes. Eat Behav 2007; 8: 258–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Tanofsky-Kraff M, McDuffie JR, Yanovski SZ, Kozlosky M, Schvey NA, Shomaker LB et al. Laboratory assessment of the food intake of children and adolescents with loss of control eating. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89: 738–745.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Farquhar JW, Frank A, Gross RC, Reaven GM . Glucose, insulin, and triglyceride responses to high and low carbohydrate diets in man. J Clin Invest 1966; 45: 1648–1656.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Segall MM, Tamir I, Fosbrooke AS, Lloyd JK, Wolff OH . Effects of short-term high-carbohydrate feeding on serum triglyceride of children with familial hypercholesterolaemia. Arch Dis Child 1970; 45: 393–398.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  36. Yusuf S, Hawken S, Ounpuu S, Bautista L, Franzosi MG, Commerford P et al. Obesity and the risk of myocardial infarction in 27 000 participants from 52 countries: a case–control study. Lancet 2005; 366: 1640–1649.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Wormser D, Kaptoge S, Di Angelantonio E, Wood AM, Pennells L, Thompson A et al. Separate and combined associations of body-mass index and abdominal adiposity with cardiovascular disease: collaborative analysis of 58 prospective studies. Lancet 2011; 377: 1085–1095.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Tanofsky-Kraff M, Goossens L, Eddy KT, Ringham R, Goldschmidt A, Yanovski SZ et al. A multisite investigation of binge eating behaviors in children and adolescents. J Consult Clin Psychol 2007; 75: 901–913.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Epel ES, McEwen B, Seeman T, Matthews K, Castellazzo G, Brownell KD et al. Stress and body shape: stress-induced cortisol secretion is consistently greater among women with central fat. Psychosom Med 2000; 62: 623–632.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Kuo LE, Czarnecka M, Kitlinska JB, Tilan JU, Kvetnansky R, Zukowska Z . Chronic stress, combined with a high-fat/high-sugar diet, shifts sympathetic signaling toward neuropeptide Y and leads to obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Ann NY Acad Sci 2008; 1148: 232–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Christensen B, Glueck C, Kwiterovich P, Degroot I, Chase G, Heiss G et al. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride distributions in 13 665 children and adolescents: the Prevalence Study of the Lipid Research Clinics Program. Pediatr Res 1980; 14: 194–202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  42. Casazza K, Dulin-Keita A, Gower BA, Fernandez JR . Intrabdominal fat is related to metabolic risk factors in Hispanic Americans, African Americans and in girls. Acta Paediatr 2009; 98: 1965–1971.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Tanofsky-Kraff M, Morgan CM, Yanovski SZ, Marmarosh C, Wilfley DE, Yanovski JA . Comparison of assessments of children's eating-disordered behaviors by interview and questionnaire. Int J Eat Disord 2003; 33: 213–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Vanhala M . Childhood weight and metabolic syndrome in adults. Ann Med 1999; 31: 236–239.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  45. Tanofsky-Kraff M, Wilfley DE, Young JF, Mufson L, Yanovski SZ, Glasofer DR et al. Preventing excessive weight gain in adolescents: interpersonal psychotherapy for binge eating. Obesity (Silver Spring, MD) 2007; 15: 1345–1355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

JAY is a Commissioned Officer in the US Public Health Service, DHHS.

The authors’ responsibilities were as follows: MTK, LBS, SZY and JAY designed the study; MTK, LBS, EAS, RM, NS, DD, SZY, VSH and JAY analyzed and interpreted the data and drafted of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the collection and assembly of data, provided critical revision of the article for content and approved the final version of the manuscript. We thank the volunteers who participated for their help in completing these studies. The funding organization played no role in design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data; nor preparation or review of the manuscript. None of the authors declare any conflict of interest. This work was supported by National Research Service Award 1F32HD056762 from the NICHD (to LBS) and Intramural Research Program Grant 1ZIAHD000641 from the NICHD with supplemental funding from NIMHD (to JAY). ClinicalTrials.gov IDs: NCT00001522, NCT00001195.

Disclaimer

The opinions and assertions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not to be construed as reflecting the views of the PHS, USUHS or the US Department of Defense.

Author information

Author notes

  1. M Tanofsky-Kraff and L B Shomaker: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, Hatfield Clinical Research Center, Bethesda, MD, USA

    M Tanofsky-Kraff, L B Shomaker, E A Stern, R Miller, S Z Yanovski & J A Yanovski

  2. Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA

    M Tanofsky-Kraff, L B Shomaker & R Miller

  3. Nutrition Department, Clinical Center, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

    N Sebring & D DellaValle

  4. Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA

    S Z Yanovski

  5. Division of Nutrition Research Coordination, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA

    V S Hubbard

Authors
  1. M Tanofsky-Kraff
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. L B Shomaker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. E A Stern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. N Sebring
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. D DellaValle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. S Z Yanovski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. V S Hubbard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. J A Yanovski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J A Yanovski.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Tanofsky-Kraff, M., Shomaker, L., Stern, E. et al. Children's binge eating and development of metabolic syndrome. Int J Obes 36, 956–962 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.259

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.259

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links