Cue‐Induced Craving Predicts Momentary Risk for Binge Eating in BED: An EMA Study

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Abstract
Objective: Food craving is a central feature of binge‐eating disorder (BED) and may be a proximal mechanism linking environmental food cues to binge eating. Although laboratory studies show that food cues elicit craving and ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies show that craving predicts binge eating, no study has tested whether craving is the momentary mechanism linking naturalistic food‐cue exposure to binge eating. We tested this prospective within‐person mediational model in daily life among individuals with BED. Method: Adults with BED ( N = 43) completed a 10‐day EMA protocol. Multilevel structural equation modelling tested the within‐person pathway from momentary food‐cue exposure to craving to subsequent binge eating, controlling for prior craving and prior binge eating. Results: At the within‐person level, food‐cue exposure predicted increased craving, which in turn predicted a greater likelihood of subsequent binge eating, supporting a significant mediation effect. Conclusions: These findings provide the first EMA‐based evidence that food‐cue exposure increases binge‐eating risk in BED through momentary increases in craving. Results highlight cue‐induced craving as a potential key mechanism underlying binge eating and suggest that interventions targeting craving regulation and cue reactivity may improve treatment outcomes.
Funding Information
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T32MH082761)
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (P20GM134969)

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