Preliminary Examination of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Levels in Women with Purging Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa

ObjectiveThis study examined pre- and postprandial glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) levels in women with bulimia nervosa (BN), purging disorder (PD), and non-eating disorder control women to better understand whether alterations in satiation-related hormones in BN may be linked to binge-eating episodes or other altered ingestive behaviors. MethodParticipants included women with BN (n=19), PD (n=14), or controls (n=14). Participants provided subjective ratings for hunger and fullness and plasma samples before and after consumption of a standardized test meal. ResultsAs expected, GLP-1 levels increased significantly following test meal consumption; however, participants with BN displayed significantly lower GLP-1 levels compared to PD and control participants both before and after consumption of the test meal. There were no significant differences between PD and control participants in GLP-1 levels, but individuals with PD displayed significantly higher levels of fullness throughout the test meal as compared to both control and BN participants. DiscussionOur findings provide preliminary evidence that reduced GLP-1 levels in individuals with BN may be associated with binge-eating episodes. Additionally, increased fullness in individuals with PD does not appear to be accounted for by exaggerated postprandial GLP-1 release. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2015; 48:199-205