Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy added to usual care improves eating behaviors in patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder by decreasing the cognitive load of words related to body shape, weight, and food.
L Sala, Philip Gorwood, C Vindreau, Philibert Duriez
European Psychiatry October 28, 2021 DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.2242 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post clinical study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 88 |
| Population | Women and men with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) |
| Duration | 8-week group MBCT, with assessments before and after |
| Measures | Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), Beck Depression Index, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, modified Stroop color naming task |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Somatotypes Feeding behavior Cognition Female Bulimia nervosa Binge-eating disorder Cognitive behavioral therapy Eating disorders Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Binge eating disorder |
| Key points | Mindfulness skills improved significantly after 8-week group MBCT, and improved eating-behavior scores were accompanied by reduced depressive mood and trait anxiety. The authors propose that MBCT's effect on eating behaviors is mediated by a reduction in the cognitive load of eating-disorder-related stimuli, as measured by a modified Stroop task, offering a possible explanation for how MBCT reduces binge-eating behaviors. |
Abstract
Background: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as a complementary approach in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED), and to assess how the reduction of the cognitive load of words related to eating disorders (ED) could constitute an intermediate factor explaining its global efficacy.
Methods: Eighty-eight women and men participated in clinical assessments upon inscription, prior to and following 8-week group MBCT. Mindfulness skills were assessed using the five facet mindfulness questionnaire; eating behaviors were assessed using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ); comorbid pathologies were assessed using the beck depression index and the state-trait anxiety inventory. The cognitive load of words associated with ED was assessed through a modified version of the Stroop color naming task.
Results: Mindfulness skills improved significantly (p < .05) after group MBCT. The improvement of TFEQ scores was accompanied by reduced levels of depressive mood and trait anxiety. The positive impact of MBCT on TFEQ score was directly related to an improvement of the performance in the Stroop task.
Conclusions: MBCT represents an interesting complementary therapy for patients with either BN or BED, at least when cognitive and behavioral domains are concerned. Such efficacy seems to be mediated by the reduction of the cognitive load associated with ED stimuli, which offers a possible explanation of how MBCT could reduce binge-eating behaviors. Other studies are needed, in independent centers, to focus more directly on core symptoms and long-term outcome.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cites 13
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
and 8 more in the library