Obesity and binge eating: a disrupted clock in our body?

We also have inner, cellular clocks in most tissues of our body that are coordinated by a master circadian clock in the brain. These clocks form our circadian system that triggers some of these needs and responses, like getting tired and feeling hunger.

Now, researchers at the University of Cincinnati and the Lindner Center of HOPE are hosting a unique clinical trial to see if readjusting the circadian system of people with binge eating behavior can help in understanding more about why this occurs and develop new treatment options in the future. Scientists are using tabletop lamps and melatonin supplements to test their theory.

This is an example of innovation as part of UC President Neville Pinto's strategic direction, Next Lives Here.

Binge eating behavior is a form of disordered eating characterized by excessive food consumption with a loss of control, causing a person to overeat in a relatively short period of time.

The associated Binge Eating Disorder, or BED, is characterized by recurrent episodes, without the compensatory behaviors observed in bulimia nervosa, meaning purging afterward. BED is the most prevalent eating disorder worldwide and affects an estimated 2.8 million people in the United States. It is frequently observed in individuals with obesity and those with other psychiatric diagnoses, like mood and anxiety disorders. Many are unaware that they have BED, and it remains undiagnosed. Additionally, treatment options are very limited.

In this study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and housed at UC’s Lindner Center of HOPE, researchers will compare the circadian system function in 80 adults with obesity, 40 with binge eating disorder and 40 without, for two weeks. Participants will complete a sleep and eating behavior diary and wear a device — a watch — that measures activity patterns.

Their circadian phases will be assessed by determining surges in melatonin concentrations at the specific point in time when their brains and bodies shift into “night mode.”

Romo-Nava says, traditionally, studies such as this involved costly and inconvenient in-hospital or sleep lab assessments of melatonin concentrations in saliva samples under dim lights, mimicking dusk, to detect the time of the surge in melatonin production at night.

However, in this study, researchers are using a new approach, where participants can collect the saliva samples easily at home in a dimly lit room.  

Finally, researchers will test whether or not they can resynchronize study participants’ circadian system over the course of a month by combining morning light, mimicked by tabletop lamps, and the administration of a fixed dose of melatonin or placebo at night. The melatonin is given at times that are individualized according to each participants’ circadian phase. This phase of the study will only be conducted on individuals who have been diagnosed with binge eating disorder.

“We want to evaluate if this method can be an individualized way to study the circadian system in this condition,” Romo-Nava says. “But ultimately, we want to advance our understanding of the role of the circadian system in binge eating disorder, and this study will provide valuable insight on its potential as a new therapeutic target. We’re excited about how this could positively impact patients with binge eating disorder in the future.”

Featured photo of Romo-Nava and a light used in the study by Colleen Kelley/UC Creative + Brand.