Veterans' Study Points to Better Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder

Follow Drugslib on

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com

via HealthDay

TUESDAY, Aug. 5, 2025 — There’s a better way of treating binge eating disorder, a new study argues.

The method, called “regulation of cues,” reduced patients’ odds of binge eating by 20% compared to those who got standard cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), researchers reported Aug. 4 in JAMA Network Open.

“The study showed that our treatment could reduce binge eating more than standard therapy even after the six-month follow up,” researcher Kerri Boutelle, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California-San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science, said in a news release.

Regulation of cues helps people by teaching them to become more attuned to the signals sent by their body when they are naturally hungry or full, researchers said in background notes.

Many people with eating disorders have lost touch with these signals or tend to ignore them.

The therapy also helps people learn to distinguish between true physical hunger and cravings driven by emotions, and also to resist the temptation posed by foods that can trigger overeating.

For this new study, researchers recruited 129 overweight or obese veterans being treated by the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. All the vets either had binge eating disorder or were at high risk.

Binge eating — uncontrollably consuming large amounts of food — is common among military veterans, affecting 65% of female and 45% of male vets, researchers said. Military service frequently requires people to eat on the run or go without food, putting veterans at greater risk for binge eating.

The first-line treatment for binge eating is cognitive-behavioral therapy, in which people normalize their eating habits and address thoughts and behaviors that contribute to binging, researchers said.

But CBT doesn’t result in meaningful or lasting weight loss, researchers noted.

Researchers randomly assigned 63 of the patients to undergo regulation-of-cues therapy alongside a weight-loss program that included calorie monitoring and exercise. The rest received standard CBT.

Those who received regulation-of-cues therapy had a lower risk of binge eating, and also lost a greater amount of weight after five months, results show. However, the weight differences did not last longer.

“These findings suggest that targeting how individuals respond to food cues, rather than just focusing on eating behaviors or thoughts, may offer a more effective and lasting treatment for binge eating,” Boutelle said. “But more research is needed on the effects on weight.”

Sources

  • University of California-San Diego, news release, Aug. 4, 2025
  • JAMA Network Open, Aug. 4, 2025

    • Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

    Source: HealthDay

    Posted : 2025-08-06 00:00

    Read more

    Disclaimer

    Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

    The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

    Popular Keywords