Research sheds light on hidden eating disorder risk in people with type 2 diabetes
CQUniversity NeuroHealth Lab PhD candidate Emma Reid has delivered groundbreaking research revealing that Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and Bulimia Nervosa may be significantly more common among people living with type 2 diabetes than in the general population.
Presented at the Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANAZED) 23rd Conference last week, Ms Reid’s research has found that a staggering 25 per cent of study participants screened positive for BED.
The research also revealed that disordered eating in people with type 2 diabetes is linked to a range of health and wellbeing outcomes, including:
- Greater insulin resistance
- Higher body weight
- Increased symptoms of depression and anxiety
- More diabetes-related distress
- Higher levels of body dissatisfaction
- Greater reported diabetes and weight-related stigma
- Increased energy and fat intake
- Poorer sleep quality.
Ms Reid, who is also a health psychologist and credentialled eating disorder clinician, said the findings also showed that binge eating and body weight-related shame are associated with worse diabetes self-care and higher diabetes-related distress.
“Notably, body weight-related shame was linked with greater negative affect (depression and anxiety), which in turn was associated with higher levels of binge eating – potentially as a coping mechanism to escape these negative emotions,” Ms Reid explained.
The results highlight an urgent need for interventions that specifically address body weight shame and negative affect in people with type 2 diabetes.
“These findings suggest that by directly targeting body weight shame and/or negative affect, we could improve not only mental health outcomes but also eating behaviours for those with type 2 diabetes,” she said.
Ms Reid’s research journey began while working at Logan Healthy Living, a type 2 diabetes clinic, where she noticed a recurring pattern.
“I found that a number of clients were struggling with disordered eating behaviours, whether that be emotional or binge eating, or under-eating and engaging in unhealthy weight loss tactics,” she said.
“In my role as a psychologist, I was providing manualised, evidence-based eating disorder interventions that I had found effective in my previous work. However, these standard interventions weren’t always meeting my clients’ needs in the type 2 diabetes space. Managing diabetes comes with immense pressure around diet and weight – factors that can contribute to or worsen eating disorders.”
When she went to review the literature to see how to better support her clients, Ms Reid found there was very little research exploring how eating disorders uniquely present in this population and how to treat them.
“This led me to pursue a PhD so I could help fill that gap and better support my clients, as well as others facing the same challenges.”
The research has been submitted to academic journals for peer review, and Ms Reid said she hoped it would inform tailored clinical approaches that meet the specific needs of people with type 2 diabetes struggling with disordered eating.
