Clinical Research Directory

Disordered Eating and Recurrent Weight Gain After MBS

Obesity represents an increasingly serious public health problem worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, one in eight individuals globally is affected by obesity. Bariatric surgery (BS) is recognized as the most effective treatment for severe obesity and has been shown to significantly improve obesity-related comorbidities. However, despite initially successful surgical outcomes, a substantial proportion of patients experience insufficient weight loss (IWL) or weight regain (WR) after surgery. Previous studies have identified multiple factors associated with post-bariatric IWL and WR, including older age, low socioeconomic status, higher baseline body mass index (particularly preoperative BMI \>50 kg/m²), type of surgical procedure, hormonal mechanisms, poor adherence to postoperative dietary recommendations, maladaptive eating behaviors, insufficient physical activity, and the presence of psychiatric comorbidities. Among these, behavioral factors appear to play a particularly critical role. Irregular eating patterns such as loss of control eating, maladaptive behaviors such as grazing, non-adherence to dietary guidelines, and a return to preoperative eating habits are frequently associated with weight regain. Additionally, physiological mechanisms, including increased appetite, food cravings, and altered hormonal regulation of energy intake, may further contribute to this process. Grazing behavior-defined as repetitive consumption of small amounts of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control-has been consistently associated with poorer weight outcomes after bariatric surgery. A large meta-analysis reported grazing prevalence rates between 16.6% and 46.6%, with weight regain observed in nearly half of post-bariatric patients. Moreover, lack of structured nutritional follow-up has been shown to significantly increase the risk of weight regain. Neurobehavioral changes also occur after surgery: while appetite and responsiveness to palatable foods typically decrease during the first postoperative year, these effects often diminish over time, with hunger, cravings, and portion sizes gradually increasing in some individuals. Long-term weight regain has been closely linked to disordered eating behaviors, including emotional eating, binge eating, compulsive eating, food addiction, and loss of control eating. Recent studies have demonstrated significant associations between weight regain and binge eating disorder, eating disinhibition, and impulsivity. Qualitative research further highlights that many patients struggle to manage emotional eating and require ongoing psychological and dietary support following surgery. Despite growing evidence emphasizing the behavioral and psychological components of post-bariatric outcomes, comprehensive studies that simultaneously evaluate nutritional status, eating disorders, and emotional factors in individuals experiencing IWL or WR remain limited. Therefore, the present study aims to assess nutritional status, eating disorder symptoms, and emotional factors in individuals who experience insufficient weight loss or weight regain after bariatric surgery. By integrating anthropometric, nutritional, behavioral, and emotional assessments within the same sample, this study seeks to provide a multidimensional perspective and contribute to the development of more effective multidisciplinary follow-up and psychodietetic interventions.

Emotional Eating, Sleep Quality, Mental State and Metabolic Syndrome

In predominantly medication-naïve schizophrenic patients, those exhibiting partial metabolic disorders have significantly worse sleep quality and sleep onset time; poor sleep predicted metabolic dysregulation even after controlling for confounding factors. Mental health, sleep, and eating behavior interact in ways that strongly influence the risk of obesity and MetS. Emotional eating (eating in response to emotions rather than hunger) is central to this network and appears to be closely associated with psychiatric illnesses, particularly depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. There is a continuing need to elucidate the frequency, level, and relationship of emotional eating with other factors in individuals with SMI. Therefore, this study aims to elucidate this complex relationship, thereby shedding light on new ways to reduce metabolic risks in psychiatric patients.

The Relationship Between Enneagram Personality Types and Eating Behaviors, Emotional Eating, Psychological Well-Being, and Spirituality in Obese Individuals: A Holistic Approach

This study explores the relationship between Enneagram personality types and eating behaviors, emotional eating, psychological well-being, and spirituality in obese individuals from a holistic perspective.

Study of Emotional Regulation and Underlying Prefrontal Activity in Binge Eating Disorder

The goal of this exploratory, interventional, multicentre study is to compare the prefrontal activity during a negative emotion regulation task in women with Binge-Eating Disorder (BED) and healthy women with and without Emotional Eating (EE). The aim of this study is to compare the prefrontal processing of cognitive control of emotions between BED and EE and to compare the emotional processing and emotional experience between BED and EE. The study will thus compare four experimental groups: patients with BED, BMI-matched healthy volunteers with EE, BMI-matched healthy volunteers, and healthy volunteers of normal weight without BED. Participants will perform a down-regulation task of negative emotions elicited by negative pictures. During this task, their cerebral activity will be recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), as well as their autonomous activity (skin conductance, pulse rate, respiration rate).

Efficacy of Satisens® in Reducing Emotional Eating

This study evaluates the efficacy of Satisens®, a dietary supplement composed of plant extracts, in reducing emotional eating and sweet cravings in healthy adults. The study will analyze hormonal, neurotransmitter, and inflammatory markers to understand the underlying mechanisms.