Lifetime Weight Course as a Phenotypic Marker of Severity and Therapeutic Response in Patients with Eating Disorders

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 13; no. 6; p. 2034
• Main Authors: Agüera, Zaida, Vintró-Alcaraz, Cristina, Baenas, Isabel, Granero, Roser, Sánchez, Isabel, Sánchez-González, Jéssica, Menchón, José M, Jiménez-Murcia, Susana, Treasure, Janet, Fernández-Aranda, Fernando
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.06.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adults; Age; Body mass index; body mass index (BMI) profiles; Care and treatment; Clinical outcomes; Eating behavior; Eating disorders; Emergency medicine; Health aspects; Life span; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Obesity; Overweight; Patients; Personality; Personality traits; Population studies; Psychology, Pathological; Psychopathology; Questionnaires; Reinforcement; Sociodemographics; Substance abuse treatment; treatment outcome; Spain
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu13062034

The association between lifetime weight fluctuations and clinical characteristics has been widely studied in populations with eating disorders (ED). However, there is a lack of literature examining the potential role of weight course as a transdiagnostic factor in ED so far. Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare ED severity and treatment outcomes among four specific BMI profiles based on BMI-trajectories across the lifespan: (a) persistent obesity (OB-OB; (n = 74)), (b) obesity in the past but currently in a normal weight range (OB-NW; n = 156), (c) normal weight throughout the lifespan (NW-NW; n = 756), and (d) current obesity but previously at normal weight (NW-OB; n = 314). Lifetime obesity is associated with greater general psychopathology and personality traits such as low persistence and self-directedness, and high reward dependence. Additionally, greater extreme weight changes (NW-OB and OB-NW) were associated with higher psychopathology but not with greater ED severity. Higher dropout rates were found in the OB-OB group. These results shed new light on the BMI trajectory as a transdiagnostic feature playing a pivotal role in the severity and treatment outcome in patients with ED.