Benefits of yoga in the treatment of eating disorders: Results of a randomized controlled trial.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the efficacy of incorporating Yoga into the treatment of eating disorders, specifically bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
Results Summary
Compared to waitlist controls, Yoga participants experienced reductions in binge eating frequency, emotional regulation difficulties, and self-criticism, along with increases in self-compassion and state mindfulness skills. The results suggest Yoga may be beneficial, but further rigorous research is needed.
Population
53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Eight weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yoga | decrease | binge eating frequency | 53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder | - | decreases | #1 |
Yoga | decrease | emotional regulation difficulties | 53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder | - | decreases | #2 |
Yoga | decrease | self-criticism | 53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder | - | decreases | #3 |
Yoga | increase | self-compassion | 53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder | - | increases | #4 |
Yoga | increase | state mindfulness skills | 53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder | - | increases | #5 |
Yoga has begun to be incorporated into the treatment of eating disorders despite limited empirical support for this practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of incorporating Yoga into the treatment of eating disorders. This preliminary randomized controlled trial investigated the benefits of participating in an eight-week Kripalu Yoga program for 53 women with symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Compared to waitlist controls, Yoga participants experienced decreases in binge eating frequency, emotional regulation difficulties and self-criticism, and increases in self-compassion. Yoga participants also experienced increases in state mindfulness skills across the eight weeks of the Yoga program. While these results are encouraging and suggest Yoga may have a valuable role to play in the treatment of eating disorders, it is important to stress their tentative nature. Further research, adopting a more rigorous design, is needed to address the limitations of the present study and expand on these findings.