Weight-loss drugs may help reduce symptoms of binge eating disorder, research finds
Weight-loss drugs could help reduce symptoms of binge eating disorder, say researchers who carried out a review of the evidence.
Analysing data from 25 randomised controlled trials, the team at University College London found that GLP-1 receptor agonists can reduce binge eating episodes, loss-of-control eating and emotional eating.
Reporting the findings in eClinicalMedicine, they said participants also reported increased cognitive or dietary restraint, but more research is needed to understand the link.
With more than 8,000 patients taking tirzepatide, semaglutide or liraglutide included in the analysis, the researchers said it was the most comprehensive review evaluating the effectiveness of GLP-1RAs for binge eating–related symptoms.
But because of a lack of long-term follow-up data, together with the limited inclusion of participants formally diagnosed with binge eating disorder, more independent, high-quality research is warranted, they added.
Study leader Dr Ilaria Costantini, a research fellow in psychiatric epidemiology at the UCL Division of Psychiatry, said binge eating disorder is common but treatment options are limited.
She said: ‘There are currently no approved medications, so there remains a need for better ways to help people living with this condition.
‘We found evidence that weight loss drugs may help to manage some key symptoms of binge eating disorder.’
The research suggests that GLP-1s could be an important part of treatment plans for people with binge eating disorder but that sustainable recovery is likely to depend not only on medication but also on psychological therapies and social support.
Co-author Izzy Emptage, also from the UCL Division of Psychiatry, explained: ‘From the evidence available, we cannot say whether the increase in dietary restraint reflects a positive and helpful form of self-regulation or if it is a more dysfunctional pattern of eating.
‘We hope that future research can clarify whether or not taking weight loss drugs might contribute to more pathological forms of eating restriction such as meal skipping.
‘We hope that by highlighting the potential of weight loss drugs to help with binge eating symptoms, our findings will lead to further funding of larger high-quality studies in this area, to better understand how this medication could be used in practice and improve treatment options.’
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