Influences of Ovarian Hormones on Dysregulated Eating: A Comparison of Associations in Women With Versus Women Without Binge Episodes

Changes in ovarian hormones predict changes in emotional eating across the menstrual cycle. However, in prior studies, researchers have not examined whether the nature of associations varies across dysregulated-eating severity. In the current study, we determined whether the strength or nature of hormone/dysregulated-eating associations differ on the basis of the presence of clinically diagnosed binge episodes (BEs). Participants included 28 women with BEs and 417 women without BEs who provided salivary hormone samples, ratings of emotional eating, and BE frequency for 45 days. Results revealed stronger associations between dysregulated eating and ovarian hormones in women with BEs relative to women without BEs. The nature of associations also differed, as progesterone moderated the effects of lower estradiol levels on dysregulated eating in women with BEs only. Although hormone/dysregulated-eating associations are present across the spectrum of pathology, the nature of associations may vary in ways that have implications for etiological models and treatment.