Abstract
Objective
This study examined whether sex predicted and/or moderated treatment outcomes among men and women who participated in binge‐eating disorder (BED) randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
Method
Data were aggregated from RCTs performed at one medical center. RCTs tested cognitive‐behavioral therapy, behavioral weight loss, multimodal treatment, and/or control conditions. Participants were 660 adults, both men (n = 170) and women (n = 490), with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual‐fourth edition (DSM‐IV)‐defined BED. Doctoral‐level research‐clinicians assessed participants using structured interviews and established self‐report measures of eating‐disorder psychopathology and depression, and measured height and weight. Assessments occurred at baseline, throughout treatment, and at post‐treatment.
Results
Sex was not a significant moderator of any treatment outcomes. Mixed models revealed sex had a main effect: men had lower eating‐disorder psychopathology and lost more weight than women over the course of treatment.
Discussion
Both epidemiological and RCT studies report disparities in treatment‐seeking between men and women with BED. Despite this, men have comparable or better treatment outcomes compared with women, including significantly greater weight loss. Thus, disseminating evidence‐based BED treatments is promising for both men and women. Additional research is necessary, however, to understand treatment effects—including other predictors and moderators of outcomes—across diverse providers, treatment settings, and patient groups.