Binge eating is a transdiagnostic
eating disorder symptom that can occur in patients with
anorexia nervosa (AN), persisting after weight restoration, and impeding their recovery. However, little is known about the biological predictors of
binge eating after AN weight restoration. The goals of this exploratory study of 73 females with AN were: (1) to examine changes in
cortisol, the
adrenocorticotropic hormone,
norepinephrine,
ghrelin (total and active), and
leptin levels across the admission, discharge, and 3 months post-discharge from the inpatient AN weight restoration; and (2) to determine whether the target
hormones were associated with objective or subjective
binge eating (OBE or SBE). The participants completed the self-reported
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory-II, and provided fasting whole blood samples for
hormone assays. The results showed significant changes in body mass index (BMI),
cortisol, total
ghrelin, and
leptin levels over the three time points. The
cortisol levels at admission and discharge were significantly associated with the number of SBE episodes at 3 months post-discharge. Findings suggest the need to replicate and confirm the role of
cortisol in predicting the emergence of SBE and uncover the mechanisms underlying SBE and
cortisol to prevent SBE and its negative consequences.