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Benefits of yoga in the treatment of eating disorders: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Eating disorders
January 1, 2020
Margaret A Brennan et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleRandomized Controlled TrialHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

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

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
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
Abstract

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.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultBinge-Eating DisorderBulimia NervosaEmotional RegulationFemaleHumansMindfulnessSelf ConceptTreatment OutcomeYoung Adult
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations16
Citations/Year3.2
Relative Citation Ratio1.97
NIH Percentile74%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.21
Normalized Score0.64
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