Background: Cross-sectional associations between anxiety disorders and eating disorders (EDs) have been well documented; however, limited research has examined whether symptoms of anxiety disorders are prospectively associated with EDs. Identifying these longitudinal associations can aid in discerning relationships among eating and anxiety disorders and point toward a mechanistic understanding of developmental psychopathology. This study investigated the prospective associations between parent-reported anxiety in mid-childhood (age 10) and childreported ED behaviors and disorders in adolescence (at ages 14 and 16 years) in a population-based sample. Methods: Participants were individuals enrolled in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a population-based, prospective study of women and their children; 7,767 children whose parents provided data at age 10 were included in current analyses. An exploratory factor analysis identified latent anxiety factors at age 10, followed by a path analysis that evaluated associations between these factors and eating disorder symptoms and cognitions at age 14. Results: Parent-reported anxiety symptoms at age 10 yielded 5 factors: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms related to symmetry and checking (Factor 1); OCD symptoms associated with aversion to dirt and germs (Factor 2); physical anxiety symptoms (Factor 3); worries (Factor 4); and social phobia symptoms (Factor 5). Factors 3 and 4 showed the most consistent, positive associations with a range of ED symptoms at age 14. Factor 3 predicted diagnosis of bulimia nervosa by age 16 (OR = 1.11, p = .007), whereas Factor 4 predicted diagnoses of anorexia nervosa (OR = 1.10, p = .01) and disordered eating by age 16 (OR = 1.08, p = .001). Conclusions: Results indicate that symptoms of generalized anxiety in middle childhood may predict adolescentonset ED symptoms and ED diagnoses.Anxiety-related symptoms at age 10 and eating disorder symptoms during adolescence were examined in a population-based, epidemiological sample of children.Worries and physical anxiety at age 10 predict eating disorder symptoms and diagnoses in adolescence.Clinicians should be attentive to weight fluctuations and eating concerns among anxious children. Childhood worries about physical symptoms might predispose to eating and body related worries that can convert into full blown ED.
Research suggests that individuals with high liking for sweets are at increased risk for binge eating, which has been minimally investigated in individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED). Forty-one adults (85% female, 83% white) with binge eating concerns completed a sweet taste test and measures of eating disorder behaviors and food cravings. A subset of participants with BED completed an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; N=21) and a 24-hour dietary recall (N=26). Regression models were used to compare highest sweet preferers (HSP [N=18]) to other sweet preferers (OSP [N=23]) and were used to assess associations between sweet taste preference and outcome variables. Effect sizes (ηp) for differences between HSP and OSP ranged from small (≤0.01) to large (≥0.24); group differences were statistically nonsignificant except for 24-hour caloric intake (ηp=0.16, p=0.04), protein intake (ηp=0.16, p=0.04), and insulin sensitivity index (ηp=0.24, p=0.04), which were higher in HSP, and postprandial insulin, which was smaller in HSP (ηp=0.27, p=0.03). Continuous analyses replicated postprandial insulin response. Compared with OSP, HSP reported numerically higher binge-eating frequency (ηp=0.04), over-eating frequency (ηp=0.06), and carbohydrate intake (ηp=0.14), and they exhibited numerically smaller postprandial glucose AUC (ηp=0.16). Sweet taste preference may have implications for glucose regulation, binge-eating frequency, and nutrient intake in BED.
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