Combined oral contraceptive use increases susceptibility to emotional eating

Users of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) are at increased risk of emotional eating, as reported in a study.

The population-based longitudinal survey study included 422 women (mean age 21.95 years) from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Researchers collected daily reports of active COC use vs inactive pill use, as well as binge eating, across 49 consecutive days.

The main outcome was within-person changes in emotional eating between inactive vs active hormone pill use conditions. Results showed significant within-person increases in emotional eating during active COC use vs inactive use in both cycles (cycle 1: β, 0.11, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.06–0.16; cycle 2: β, 0.07, 95 percent CI, 0.04–0.10).

Changes in negative affect did not modify the observed increase in emotional eating during active COC use. Notably, the increase in emotional eating during active COC use was observed in the subsample of 51 women (mean age 22.44 years) with clinically defined binge eating episodes (cycle 1: β, 0.13, 95 percent CI, −0.07 to 0.33; cycle 2: β, 0.12, 95 percent CI, 0.02–0.23).

Finally, no significant changes in weight preoccupation (ie, preoccupation with dieting, weight, or shape) were observed across pill type. Post hoc analyses of negative affect as the outcome showed more modest COC effects.

More work is needed to explore mechanisms, examine other hormone contraceptives, and identify for whom COCs may increase risk of emotional eating.