A new approach to obesity and binge eating disorder:

Hi everyone! Another Causes or Cures podcast is up. For 2022, I promised to focus on a few topics, one being obesity since rates have increased in the US and it’s a problem of epidemic proportions. A large body of data shows that obesity is a significant risk factor for severe COVID disease, but it’s a risk factor for a lot of diseases. Unfortunately, we haven’t done a great job of preventing it. On the podcast I’ll try to feature researchers who are actively studying ways to address obesity, stakeholders and personal success stories. I recently featured a researcher who studied intermittent fasting and weight gain. That could become a new approach to obesity or at least more of a mainstream, recommended dietary plan. It’s not a long podcast (I know you guys are busy), so if you are interested, you can listen to it here. 

In this episode of Causes or Cures, I chatted with Dr. Trine Tetlie Eik-Nes about her new approach to obesity with binge eating disorder (BED) that was recently tested in a feasibility study and published here.  She is a researcher in Norway, so the study was conducted in Norway. While I talk a lot about the US’s issue with obesity, it is a problem affecting multiple nations.

In the podcast she will discuss in detail her new approach to obesity, an intervention called People Need People (PnP), along with the link between obesity and binge eating disorder. She will also discuss the relationship of obesity and binge eating disorder with stigma, shame and our attachment style, and why it is crucial to address those issues in order to help someone recover. Dr. Eik-Nes also talks about the relationship between eating disorders and alexithymia, or the inability to express what you are feeling.  As someone who struggled with bulimia for years, I was very interested in exploring the link between eating disorders and attachment style and alexithymia. I talked a little about my experience in the podcast, but for the full, uncut version of how out of control my eating disorder got, you can read Manic Kingdom. Some parts of it are fictionalized, but it’s based on a true story, my true story. Looking back now, I sometimes can’t believe that story is true (mostly true), and sometimes I feel ashamed by it. Usually, the moments of shame are fleeting but learning how to better navigate those fleeting feelings, forgive myself, and move forward will always be a lifelong process for me. It’s gotten easier with time, but man oh man, I still have my moments. The silver lining is that I’m pretty decent at forgiving others, because I know how important forgiveness is to heal oneself, overcome shame, accept oneself and achieve overall wellbeing, no matter the dark places one’s been or the dark deeds one’s done. Forgiveness is key. But let’s move on. If you want to know the story, read the book. ;)

Who is Dr. Eik-Nes?

Dr. Eik-Nes is an Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). She completed her MSc at NTNU and has her PhD in public health. She has worked as a clinician for 20 years in the mental health sector and also conducts research with a special interest in adult psychopathology, the epidemiology of obesity, weight disorders, eating disorders, body image and stigma.

To listen to a new approach to obesity and binge eating disorder, click here. And please share this episode! And share the intermittent fasting one too! These guys are real-deal experts, so you can trust the information. There are so many people struggling with obesity, weigh issues, weight bias and eating disorders, and I think that many of them will benefit by listening to what Dr. Eik-Nes has to say.

Thanks guys. Stay tuned for more podcast episodes on obesity and also ones that take a deeper dive into industry’s influence on healthcare and public health policy. That was another topic I plan on covering this year! ;)

Talk soon-

Eeks