Aerobic exercise training improves physical performance of patients with binge-eating disorder

The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of aerobic exercise training and traditional treatment on body mass index (BMI) and aerobic capacity compared to the traditional treatment alone in patients with binge-eating disorder (BED). Fourteen BED patients were divided into Intervention Group (IG, n = 6) and Control Group (CG, n = 8). All patients participated into the weekly multidisciplinary program. In addition, IG underwent an aerobic exercise-training period of 6 months. At baseline and after 6 months of intervention, both groups underwent measurements of BMI and six-minute walk test (6MWT). BMI reduced in both groups (47.2 ± 5.5  and 42.7 ± 5.1 kg/m² in IG PRE and IG POST, respectively; p < 0.01; 46.6 ± 6.9 and 44.3 ± 6.1 kg/m² in CG PRE and CG POST, respectively; p < 0.01), but IG obtained a greater reduction than CG. Indeed, a BMI reduction of −4.50 kg/m² in IG occurred while in CG decreased by −2.30 kg/m² (p < 0.05). The IG improved the 6MWT (435.9 ± 106.2 and 519.1 ± 151.5 m in IG PRE and IG POST, respectively; p < 0.01). In addition, the CG improved 6MWT (455.5 ± 114.9 and 502.5 ± 110.7 m in CG PRE and CG POST, respectively; p < 0.01) probably because of the influence of diet and changes in body composition, even though the difference did not achieve statistical significance. Changes induced by the combined intervention were significantly greater than traditional treatment alone, suggesting that the addition of physical exercise constitutes a novel potential therapeutic approach in eating disorders.