Binge-Eating Teens More Likely to Use Drugs

Binge-eating adolescents are more likely to use marijuana and other drugs and become depressed, according to a study that suggests doctors be aware of their teen patients' eating habits to help avert these issues.

Teens and young adults who reported being binge eaters or overeaters were almost twice as likely to start using marijuana than those without the eating disorder, research published today in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found. Binge eaters and overeaters were 1.59 to 1.89 times more likely to use other drugs, researchers said.

People who binge eat can be more impulsive, a trait that may lead them to drug use, said Kendrin Sonneville, the study’s lead author and director of nutrition training in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. More research is needed to look at how to better identify and treat kids who overeat or binge eat, she said.

Source: Businessweek
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-12-10/binge-eating-teens-more-likely-to-use-drugs-study-finds