Digital Meditation to Target Employee Stress: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being among employees; however, effects of digital meditation programs are poorly understood.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of digital meditation vs a waiting list condition on general and work-specific stress and whether greater engagement in the intervention moderates these effects.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This randomized clinical trial included a volunteer sample of adults (aged ≥18 years) employed at a large academic medical center who reported mild to moderate stress, had regular access to a web-connected device, and were fluent in English.

Weight Stigma in the Development, Maintenance, and Treatment of Eating Disorders: A Case Series Informing Implications for Research and Practice.

Weight-centric health practices are based on the principle that excess weight predicts chronic disease, informing a growing sociopolitical movement to address an "obesity epidemic." This hyper-focus on preventing obesity may contribute to weight stigma (i.e.

Association between mindful and practical eating skills and eating behaviors among racially diverse pregnant women in four selected clinical sites in the United States.

Mindful eating is a promising strategy to address problematic eating behaviors; however, little is known about its applicability during pregnancy. No studies have examined the combined effects of mindful and practical eating skills on eating behaviors. We examined associations between mindful and practical eating skills and eating behaviors (nutritional intake and emotional eating) among pregnant women who received psychoeducation on healthy eating and pregnancies.

An exploration of the association between premorbid weight status on patient and caregiver factors at pre and post-treatment among youth with anorexia nervosa/atypical anorexia nervosa.

Patients with atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) or anorexia nervosa (AN) with premorbid history of higher weight (PHW; median BMI ≥ 85th %ile) may report greater eating disorder (ED) pathology, anxiety, and depression, than patients with premorbid history of lower weight (PLW; mBMI <85th %ile). Less is known about caregiver attitudes or treatment outcome related to premorbid weight history. The current study examined associations between premorbid weight history and patient/caregiver factors at presentation, during treatment, and end of treatment among adolescents (N = 138) diagnosed with AN/AAN and their caregivers who received interdisciplinary ED treatment.

Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms Are Associated With Emotional Eating but Not Nutritional Intake During Pregnancy: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: Pregnancy is a major life event during which women may experience increased psychological distress and changes in eating behaviors. However, few studies have investigated the influence of psychological distress on pregnant women's eating behaviors. The primary objective of this prospective study was to examine the associations of changes in perceived stress and depressive symptoms with emotional eating and nutritional intake during pregnancy.

Impact of digital meditation on work stress and health outcomes among adults with overweight: A randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being at work; however, effects on food cravings and metabolic health are not well known. We tested effects of digital meditation, alone or in combination with a healthy eating program, on perceived stress, cravings, and adiposity. We randomized 161 participants with overweight and moderate stress to digital meditation ('MED,' n = 38), digital meditation + healthy eating ('MED+HE,' n = 40), active control ('HE,' n = 41), or waitlist control ('WL,' n = 42) for 8 weeks.

Negative Mood and Food Craving Strength Among Women with Overweight: Implications for Targeting Mechanisms Using a Mindful Eating Intervention.

Objectives: When experiencing negative mood, people often eat to improve their mood. A learned association between mood and eating may cultivate frequent food cravings, detracting from health goals. Training in mindful eating may target this cycle of emotion-craving-eating by teaching individuals to manage urges when experiencing negative mood.

Alternative Devices for Heart Rate Variability Measures: A Comparative Test-Retest Reliability Study.

Using healthy adult participants, seven measures of heart rate variability were obtained simultaneously from four devices in five behavioral conditions. Two devices were ECG-based and two utilized photoplethysmography. The 140 numerical values (measure, condition, device) are presented.

Do stress eating or compulsive eating influence metabolic health in a mindfulness-based weight loss intervention?

Objective: We aimed to understand the associations of compulsive eating (CE) and stress eating (SE) with metabolic health among adults with obesity and whether mindfulness-based weight loss training may buffer these associations.

Method: We used data from a trial in which we randomized 194 participants with obesity to a diet-exercise weight loss intervention with either mindful eating training plus mindfulness-based eating awareness and stress management training ( = 100) or active control components ( = 94). We measured CE, SE, weight, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) at baseline, and 6, 12 months, and 18 months.

Correction: Maternal caregivers have confluence of altered cortisol, high reward-driven eating, and worse metabolic health.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Maternal caregivers have confluence of altered cortisol, high reward-driven eating, and worse metabolic health.

Animal models have shown that chronic stress increases cortisol, which contributes to overeating of highly palatable food, increased abdominal fat and lower cortisol reactivity. Few studies in humans have simultaneously examined these trajectories. We examined premenopausal women, either mothers of children with a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (n = 92) or mothers of neurotypical children (n = 91).

Relationship of Mindfulness to Distress and Cortisol Response in Adolescent Girls At-Risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

Altered stress response theoretically contributes to the etiology of cardiometabolic disease. Mindfulness may be a protective buffer against the effects of stress on health outcomes by altering how individuals evaluate and respond to stress. We engaged adolescent girls at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes in a cold-pressor test in order to determine the relationship of dispositional mindfulness to cortisol response and subjective stress, including perceived pain and unpleasantness during the stressor, and negative affect following the stressor.

Remission of loss of control eating and changes in components of the metabolic syndrome.

Objective: Pediatric loss of control (LOC) eating prospectively predicts the worsening of metabolic syndrome components. However, it is unknown if remission of LOC eating is associated with improvements in metabolic health. Therefore, we conducted a secondary analysis of a trial that enrolled adolescent girls with LOC eating, examining whether LOC remission (vs.

Prevention of insulin resistance in adolescents at risk for type 2 diabetes with depressive symptoms: 1-year follow-up of a randomized trial.

Background: Depression is associated with poor insulin sensitivity. We evaluated the long-term effects of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for prevention of depression on insulin sensitivity in adolescents at risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) with depressive symptoms.

Methods: One-hundred nineteen adolescent females with overweight/obesity, T2D family history, and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms were randomized to a 6-week CBT group (n = 61) or 6-week health education (HE) control group (n = 58).

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Prevent Depression and Ameliorate Insulin Resistance in Adolescent Girls at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

Background: Prospective data suggest depressive symptoms worsen insulin resistance and accelerate type 2 diabetes (T2D) onset.

Purpose: We sought to determine whether reducing depressive symptoms in overweight/obese adolescents at risk for T2D would increase insulin sensitivity and mitigate T2D risk.

Method: We conducted a parallel-group, randomized controlled trial comparing a 6-week cognitive-behavioral (CB) depression prevention group with a 6-week health education (HE) control group in 119 overweight/obese adolescent girls with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale [CES-D] ≥16) and T2D family history.

Associations of sleep duration and quality with disinhibited eating behaviors in adolescent girls at-risk for type 2 diabetes.

Objectives: Short sleep duration and daytime sleepiness have been associated with an increased risk for the onset of type 2 diabetes in adults. There has been far less attention to the characterization of sleep in adolescents at-risk for diabetes or to the possible behavioral mechanisms, such as disinhibited eating, through which sleep may affect metabolic functioning.

Methods: We evaluated the associations of sleep duration and daytime sleepiness with a multi-modal assessment of disinhibited eating in 119 adolescent girls at-risk for type 2 diabetes based upon being overweight/obese and having a family history of diabetes.

Effect of adapted interpersonal psychotherapy versus health education on mood and eating in the laboratory among adolescent girls with loss of control eating.

Objective: Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is aimed at improving negative affect that is purported to contribute to the development and maintenance of loss-of-control (LOC) eating. Although youth who report LOC over eating tend to consume more snack-foods than those without LOC, it is unknown if IPT impacts objective energy intake.

Methods: To test if IPT improves mood and eating in the laboratory, we examined a sample of 88 girls with LOC eating who were randomized to either IPT (n = 46) or a standard-of-care health education (HE) group program.

Cortisol response to an induction of negative affect among adolescents with and without loss of control eating.

Background: Adults with binge eating disorder may have an exaggerated or blunted cortisol response to stress. Yet, limited data exist among youth who report loss of control (LOC) eating, a developmental precursor to binge eating disorder.

Methods: We studied cortisol reactivity among 178 healthy adolescents with and without LOC eating.

Metabolic characteristics of youth with loss of control eating.

Purpose: Preliminary data in adults suggest that binge eating is associated with greater prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) components. However, there are limited data in youth, and little is known of the role of binge episode size in these relationships.

Methods: We examined the relationship between loss of control eating and metabolic characteristics in a convenience sample of 329 treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking adolescent boys and girls.

Mindfulness and eating behavior in adolescent girls at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship of dispositional mindfulness to binge eating and associated eating attitudes and behaviors among adolescent girls at risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Methods: Participants were 114 overweight or obese adolescents enrolled in a study of girls with a family history of T2D and mild depressive symptoms. Adolescent self-reports of mindfulness, eating in the absence of hunger, and depressive symptoms were collected.

Depressed affect and dietary restraint in adolescent boys' and girls' eating in the absence of hunger.

Data suggest that depressed affect and dietary restraint are related to disinhibited eating patterns in children and adults. Yet, experimental research has not determined to what extent depressed affect acutely affects eating in the absence of physiological hunger (EAH) in adolescents. In the current between-subjects experimental study, we measured EAH in 182 adolescent (13-17 y) girls (65%) and boys as ad libitum palatable snack food intake after youth ate to satiety from a buffet meal.

Recent Advances in Developmental and Risk Factor Research on Eating Disorders.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (i.e., DSM-5) currently recognizes three primary eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder.

Targeted prevention of excess weight gain and eating disorders in high-risk adolescent girls: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The high prevalence and incidence of obesity and eating disorders in US adolescent girls are serious health problems. Because of the shared risk factors for obesity and eating disorders, a targeted prevention of both conditions is a priority.

Objective: We determined whether an adapted interpersonal psychotherapy prevention program is more efficacious for reducing excess weight gain and worsening disordered eating than health education in adolescent girls at high risk of obesity and eating disorders.