Association of Dietary Intake with Interoception and Gastric Myoelectric Activity in Women with Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa.

Background: Women with binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) usually consume high-calorie meals with variable macro- and micronutrient compositions and have a disturbed perception of gastric fullness. The association of dietary intake with gastric interoception and gastric myoelectric activity (GMA) is poorly studied. This study examined the link between GMA/interoception and dietary intake in women with eating disorders (ED) compared to age/body mass index (BMI)-matched controls.

Methods: A total of 18 women diagnosed with BED (n = 9) or BN (n = 9) and 18 age/BMI-matched controls (MC) group were enrolled in this study. Interoception was measured by measuring the volume of ingested water until the feeling of maximal fullness within 5 minutes (5 min water load test; 5 min WL). GMA was measured using transcutaneous electrogastrography (EGG) before and after water ingestion. Dietary intake was recorded using the multipath 24-hour recall of the two proceeding days. Then, food processor software was used to analyze the macro- and micronutrient composition of their diets. The volume of water load (WL) and the EGG's average dominant frequency (ADF) were correlated with macro- and micronutrient intakes.

Results: Compared to the matched controls, women with ED had a significantly higher consumption of total calories, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate (CHO), fibers, and sugar, with further higher intakes of total calories and trans-fat in the BED compared to the BN subgroup (p < 0.05). Moreover, the BED group showed higher vitamin B1, copper, and iron intakes than the MC group (p-values were <0.05). The volume of 5 min WL was higher in the BN group than in the control group (697.50 ± 186.45 vs. 466.67 ± 120.44 mL; p < 0.05) and the BED group (697.50 ± 186.45 vs. 488.75 ± 152.17 mL; p < 0.05). In the BED group, ADF showed a significant positive correlation with CHO, sugar, and vitamin B12 intakes (r = 0.700, 0.719, and 0.766, respectively; p < 0.05). Additionally, the 5 min WL volume was negatively correlated with the fiber and sodium intake in the BN group (r = -0.710 and -0.724, respectively; p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Specific dietary approaches might be effective for women with BN and BED. Women with BN may benefit from diets that are higher in fiber and sodium. In contrast, those with BED may find diets rich in simple carbohydrates and vitamin B12 helpful for regulating their eating habits and gastric mobility. Future research is encouraged to test this finding prospectively.