Bright Light Therapy and Binge Frequency

Reprinted from Eating Disorders Review
March/April 2000 Volume 11, Number 2
©2000 Gürze Books

Bulimia nervosa (BN) and seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, have much in common. BN is primarily an eating disorder but it also is accompanied by atypical depression and seasonal variations in symptoms. SAD is primarily an atypical depressive disorder but is often associated with carbohydrate craving and disordered eating. Both syndromes occur primarily in women and both may be associated with dysregulation of serotonin.

Could light therapy be helpful in BN?

Bright light therapy is an effective treatment for SAD. Could bright light therapy also help patients with BN? To test this hypothesis, Devra L. Braun, PhD, and co-workers treated 34 bulimic female bulimic outpatients with either 10,000-lux bright white light or 50-lux dim red light (controls) (Comprehensive Psychiatry 1999; 40:442). The placebo group (n=18) and the bright-light group (n=16) were matched for age, degree of seasonality of symptoms, and concurrent depression. The light sessions involved 3 weeks of morning light for 30 minutes a day.

Binge eating decreased significantly with light therapy

Binge eating decreased significantly more during treatment with bright light therapy than during placebo treatment. However, depression decreased during the study in both groups and did not decrease significantly more among women who had the bright light therapy.

The authors note that their results show the need for further studies of the effects of light therapy. For example, bright light therapy might be useful for augmenting the effects of drug therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy among patients with BN.

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