Scientists Seek Answers about the Problem of Emotional Eating

In theory, the process of shedding excess pounds should be easy. If one simply eats less and expends more energy through exercise and other activities, the unwanted weight should gradually begin to come off. The universal laws of physics dictate that this must be the case.

But anyone who has ever gone to bat in the battle of the bulge knows that it isn?t always that simple. Physical needs aside, human beings are enormously complex creatures who don?t always act in their own best interest. Decades of research have shown that hunger is not the only impulse that controls our eating patterns. Often, the food that we crave has more to do with psychology than biology.

One problem that many overweight people have to face before they can be successful in their weight loss efforts is the issue of emotional eating. Many of us have developed unhealthy eating habits that compel us to turn to food as a source of comfort or a coping mechanism, rather than just as a source of nutrition.

These detrimental eating patterns can be extremely difficult to overcome. In recent years, scientists the world over have made significant inroads into cracking the case of emotional eating. This week, we?ll survey some of the most significant recent research findings that have emerged from this field of study.

Study Shows Emotional Eaters to be at High Risk of Regaining Lost Weight

In some instances, people with emotional eating issues are able to overcome their impulses to binge on unhealthy foods and succeed in their weight loss efforts. However, a recent study conducted by scientists at the Miriam Hospital's Weight Control & Diabetes Research Center indicates that individuals with past histories of emotional eating patterns are especially prone to relapsing and regaining weight that they have worked hard to lose.

The study compared the eating habits of two groups of subjects. One group was comprised of people who reported that they tended to overeat in response to external events, such as parties, holidays, and other celebrations. The other group of people was comprised of experimental subjects who had past histories of emotional overeating.

Not only did the emotional eaters lose less weight in the course of the study?s diet component, but they also tended to regain more of the weight that they had lost in comparison to those in the ?external event overeaters? group. The authors concluded that the issue of emotional eating should play a central role in the development of future methods of treatment, prevention, and intervention for weight loss.

Inability to Discuss Emotions Found to be Linked to Binge Eating Disorder in Obese Women

A recent study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of scientists at the Research Center for Psychopathology at the Universit? Toulouse Le Mirail and the Department of Nutrition at the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Strasbourg, France assessed the emotional root causes of overeating. The researchers sought to determine whether women who self-identified as emotional eaters often experienced troubling episodes that kicked off periods of overeating.

The results of the study indicated that many of the overweight women who were emotional overeaters also suffered from an emotional disorder known as alexithymia. This disorder is characterized by extreme difficulty in identifying, processing, understanding, and describing their emotional states.

The study results identified a very strong statistical correlation between alexithymia, emotional overeating, and binge eating. This finding prompted the researchers to conclude that treatment for emotional overeating and binge eating should also include screening and treatment for alexithymia.

When Emotional Eaters Ignore Their Cravings, Binges May Enter the Picture

The conventional wisdom on dieting holds that people looking to shed excess pounds should fight their cravings for treats, sweets, snacks, and comfort foods. It has long been believed that giving into one?s cravings can trigger a wave of overeating that could lead to even more weight gain.

However, according to the results of a recent study conducted by researchers at Cornell University, the reverse may actually be closer to the truth. When people who self-identify as emotional eaters ignore their food cravings for long periods of time, they are actually more likely to fall prey to binges. On the other hand, when they gave into their cravings, focusing on healthy food substitutions and moderate serving sizes, binges were often averted.

The researchers acknowledge that more investigation is needed, but they assert that these findings may offer new insight into the way that dieters are counseled to deal with their persistent food cravings.

If emotional eating is a roadblock in your path to a healthy weight, talk to your doctor or a licensed nutritionist to develop a personalized eating and behavior plan that will be effective. Please be sure to check back each week for the diet research news you need to succeed.