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A Review of the Relationship between Night Eating Syndrome and Body Mass Index

  • Psychological Issues (V Drapeau and V Ivezaj, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Obesity Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of the Review

To review literature on night eating syndrome (NES) and body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) published in the last 5 years.

Recent Findings

Since December, 2013, 11 studies examined the association between NES and BMI. Five of these studies reported a positive relationship, five showed no relationship, and one produced mixed findings. Emotional eating and age were moderators. Twelve studies examined whether there was a difference in BMI between those with and without NES with only five of these finding differences. A primary weakness of the recent literature base is that it is almost entirely cross-sectional.

Summary

Recent findings regarding the relationship between NES and BMI are mixed. Future research should examine the relationship between these variables longitudinally and continue to examine moderating variables that explain why some individuals manifest excess weight with NES and others do not.

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References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Maija B. Bruzas & Kelly C. Allison

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  1. Maija B. Bruzas
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  2. Kelly C. Allison
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Correspondence to Kelly C. Allison.

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Maija B. Bruzas declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Kelly C. Allison has received research support for an investigator-initiated study from Novo Nordisk, and has received compensation from Weight Watchers for service as a consultant.

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

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Bruzas, M.B., Allison, K.C. A Review of the Relationship between Night Eating Syndrome and Body Mass Index. Curr Obes Rep 8, 145–155 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-019-00331-7

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