Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Apr;43(3):241-7.
doi: 10.1002/eat.20693.

Proposed diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome

Kelly C Allison  1 , Jennifer D Lundgren, John P O'Reardon, Allan Geliebter, Marci E Gluck, Piergiuseppe Vinai, James E Mitchell, Carlos H Schenck, Michael J Howell, Scott J Crow, Scott Engel, Yael Latzer, Orna Tzischinsky, Mark W Mahowald, Albert J Stunkard
Affiliations

Proposed diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome

Kelly C Allison et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To propose criteria for diagnosis of the night eating syndrome (NES).

Method: An international research meeting was held in April 2008, and consensus criteria for NES diagnosis were determined.

Results: The core criterion is an abnormally increased food intake in the evening and nighttime, manifested by (1) consumption of at least 25% of intake after the evening meal, and/or (2) nocturnal awakenings with ingestions at least twice per week. Awareness of the eating episodes is required, as is distress or impairment in functioning. Three of five modifiers must also be endorsed. These criteria must be met for a minimum duration of 3 months.

Discussion: These criteria help standardize the definition of NES. Additional aspects of the nosology of NES yet to be fully elaborated include its relationship to other eating and sleep disorders. Assessment and analytic tools are needed to assess these new criteria more accurately.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Stunkard AJ, Grace WJ, Wolff HG. The night-eating syndrome: a pattern of food intake among certain obese patients. Am J Med. 1955;19:78–86. - PubMed
    1. de Zwaan M, Burgard MA, Schenck CH, Mitchell JE. Night time eating: A review of the literature. Eur Eat Disorders Rev. 2003;11:7–24.
    1. Allison KC, Lundgren JD, O’Reardon JP, Martino NS, Sarwer DB, Wadden TA, et al. The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ): Psychometric properties of a measure of severity of the night eating syndrome. Eat Behav. 2008;9:62–72. - PubMed
    1. Striegel-Moore RH, Franko DL, May A, Ach E, Thompson D, Hook JM. Should night eating syndrome be introduced in the DSM? Int J Eat Disord. 2006;39:544–549. - PubMed
    1. Birketvedt G, Florholmen J, Sundsfjord J, Osterud B, Dinges D, Bilker W, et al. Behavioral and neuroendocrine characteristics of the night-eating syndrome. JAMA. 1999;282:657–663. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms