Blood sugar swings may fuel binge eating, tiny study hints
NCT ID NCT04211818
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This completed study looked at 20 adults with bulimia or binge eating disorder to see if low blood sugar levels trigger eating binges. Participants wore a continuous glucose monitor and kept a food diary for 14 days. The goal was to understand whether blood sugar dips lead to crisis episodes, which could eventually inspire new dietary approaches to treatment.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward new nutritional strategies to help manage compulsive eating disorders by targeting blood sugar triggers.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early observational study with only 20 participants, so results may not apply broadly. It does not test any treatment, so no direct benefit is expected.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2020
- Finished
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Jul 2023
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Subject suffering from eating disorders with at least 3 episodes of bulimia per week for at least 2 months * Subject affiliated to a health insurance or beneficiary of such a plan * Subject able to understand the nature, purpose and methodology of the study * Subject signed informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Subject suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa * Subject unable according to the investigator's opinion to keep updated a dietary book or to perform correctly the glycemic recordings * Subject suffering from somatic pathology (ex: diabetes) or psychiatric pathology assessed by the MINI (ex : severe current major depressive episode) that may interfere with the protocol according to the the investigator * Major subject legally protected (guardians or curators) or deprived of freedom by judicial or administrative order * Pregnant or nursing woman
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University Hospital
Montpellier, 34 295, France
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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