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Weight Suppression in Eating Disorders: a Research and Conceptual Update

Current Psychiatry Reports volume 20, Article number: 80 (2018) Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Weight suppression, the discrepancy between an individual’s highest past weight at adult height and his or her current weight, is related to many characteristics of individuals with eating disorders. This paper reviews research findings from the past 5 years, draws several implications regarding the mechanism underlying these effects, and proposes new approaches to measuring weight suppression.

Recent Findings

Studies were reviewed under the categories of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and mixed or miscellaneous samples, with more studies falling into the last category than in the first two. Recent findings have continued to show that weight suppression is related to a wide variety of biological and behavioral features in both diagnosed and sub-clinical samples.

Summary

Weight suppression promotes weight gain which is anathema to individuals with eating disorders, putting them in a biobehavioral bind that appears to prolong their disorder. Priorities for future research are to understand the mechanisms underlying the effects of weight suppression, evaluate new ways of defining weight suppression, and study its implications for modifying treatment.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA

    Michael R. Lowe, Amani D. Piers & Leora Benson

  2. Department of Psychology, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St., Room 119, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Michael R. Lowe

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  1. Michael R. Lowe
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  2. Amani D. Piers
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  3. Leora Benson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael R. Lowe.

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Conflict of Interest

Amani D. Piers and Leora Benson declare no conflict of interest. Michael R. Lowe is a member of the Clinical Excellence Board and a research consultant at the Renfrew Center for eating disorders.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Eating Disorders

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Lowe, M.R., Piers, A.D. & Benson, L. Weight Suppression in Eating Disorders: a Research and Conceptual Update. Curr Psychiatry Rep 20, 80 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0955-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-018-0955-2

Keywords

  • Weight suppression
  • Dieting
  • Weight loss
  • BMI
  • Anorexia nervosa
  • Bulimia nervosa