A matter of time: A systematic scoping review on a potential role of the circadian system in binge eating behavior.

Background: Emerging research suggests that food intake timing, eating behavior and food preference are associated with aspects of the circadian system function but the role that the circadian system may play in binge eating (BE) behavior in humans remains unclear.
Objective: To systematically evaluate the evidence for circadian system involvement in BE behavior.
Methods: Systematic searches of PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus were performed for reports published from inception until May 2020 (PROSPERO Registration CRD42020186325). Searches were conducted by combining Medical Subject Headings related to the circadian system, BE behavior, and/or interventions. Observational and interventional studies in humans with BE behavior published in peer-review journals in the English language were included. Studies were assessed using quality and risk of bias tools (AXIS, ROB 2.0, or ROBINS).
Results: The search produced 660 articles, 51 of which were included in this review. Of these articles, 46 were observational studies and 5 were interventional trials. Evidence from these studies suggests that individuals with BE behavior tend to have more food intake, more binge cravings, and more BE episodes later in the day. Hormonal and day/night locomotor activity rhythm disturbances may be associated with BE behavior. Furthermore, late diurnal preference ("eveningness") was associated with BE behavior and chronobiological interventions that shift the circadian clock earlier (e.g., morning bright light therapy) were found to possibly decrease BE behavior. Substantive clinical overlap exists between BE and night eating behavior. However, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding their potential relationship with the circadian system. Limitations include the lack of studies that use best-established techniques to assess the chronobiology of BE behavior, heterogeneity of participants, diagnostic criteria, and study design, which preclude a meta-analytic approach.
Conclusion: Current evidence, although limited, suggests that the circadian system may play a role in the etiology of BE behavior. Further mechanistic studies are needed to fully characterize a potential role of the circadian system in BE behavior. A chronobiological approach to studying BE behavior may lead to identification of its neurobiological components and development of novel therapeutic interventions.
Systematic Review Registration: [https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42020186325], identifier [CRD42020186325].
Competing Interests: FR-N receives grant support from the National Institute of Mental Health K23 Award (K23MH120503) and from a 2017 NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation; is the inventor on a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patent # 10,857,356; and has received non-financial research support from Soterix Medical. FS served on the Board of Directors for the Sleep Research Society and has received consulting fees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. FS interests were reviewed and managed by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Partners HealthCare in accordance with their conflict-of-interest policies. FS consultancies are not related to the current work. HB served on the scientific advisory board for Natrol, LLC, and Moving Mindz, Pty Ltd, and is a consultant for F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. CG reports no competing interests but reports several broader interests which did not influence this manuscript including honoraria for lectures, CME activities, and presentations at scientific conferences and Royalties from Guilford Press and Taylor & Francis Publishers for academic books. SM is or has been a consultant to or member of the scientific advisory boards of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Idorsia, Myriad, Novo Nordisk, Otsuka, Sipnose, Sunovion, and Takeda. She is or has been a principal or co-investigator on studies sponsored by Brainsway, Idorsia, Janssen, Marriott Foundation, Myriad, National Institute of Mental Health, Novo Nordisk, Otsuka, and Sunovion. She is also an inventor on United States Patent No. 6,323,236 B2, Use of Sulfamate Derivatives for Treating Impulse Control Disorders, and along with the patent’s assignee, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, United States has received payments from Johnson & Johnson, which has exclusive rights under the patent. AG is a paid consultant for Signant Health. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2022 Romo-Nava, Guerdjikova, Mori, Scheer, Burgess, McNamara, Welge, Grilo and McElroy.)