Cannabis Use Was Common Among Adults Seeking Treatment for Binge Eating
A 2024 study of adults seeking treatment for binge eating found that cannabis use was relatively common and associated with more frequent alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. However, the study did not find that cannabis users had more severe binge-eating or depression symptoms than participants who did not report recent cannabis use.
The study, published in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology by researchers at Drexel University, examined cannabis use among 165 adults experiencing clinically significant binge eating. Participants reported their cannabis and alcohol use over the previous three months and completed interviews and questionnaires assessing binge-eating symptoms, other eating-disorder symptoms and depression.
Binge-eating disorder involves recurrent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food while feeling unable to control the behavior. It is distinct from occasional overeating and can cause significant emotional distress and health consequences. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases describes treatment options as including psychotherapy, behavioral approaches, medication and nutritional counseling.
More than 23 percent of the Drexel participants reported using cannabis at least once in the previous three months. Most of those participants described relatively infrequent use—either once or twice or about monthly—rather than daily consumption. Cannabis users also reported a strong desire or urge to use cannabis, a measure that may signal problematic use but does not by itself establish a cannabis use disorder.
The cannabis-using group did not report more severe eating-disorder symptoms or higher levels of depression than the non-using group. That finding is important because the study does not support the stronger claim that cannabis use necessarily makes binge eating or related mental-health symptoms worse.
There was, however, a clear association with alcohol. Participants who reported cannabis use drank alcohol more frequently and described more alcohol-related problems, including difficulty controlling their drinking and needing more alcohol to feel intoxicated. The researchers suggested that clinicians treating binge eating should routinely ask patients about both cannabis and alcohol use, as well as whether substance use affects hunger, mood or eating patterns.
The results should be interpreted cautiously. This was an observational study of treatment-seeking adults, based largely on self-reported behavior and measurements taken at one point in time. It cannot establish whether cannabis contributes to binge eating, whether binge eating or related distress influences cannabis use, or whether both are linked to other factors. The study also did not test cannabis as a treatment or directly measure what happened during binge-eating episodes.
Previous research has suggested that cannabis can influence appetite and the rewarding qualities of food, particularly highly palatable foods. But those mechanisms do not demonstrate that cannabis causes binge-eating disorder. The study’s main clinical message is more practical: substance use may be relevant when assessing and treating people with binge eating, even when it is not accompanied by more severe eating-disorder or depression symptoms.
People concerned about loss-of-control eating, cannabis use or alcohol-related problems should discuss those concerns with a qualified health professional. The National Institute of Mental Health’s eating-disorder guidance notes that eating disorders can co-occur with depression, anxiety and substance-use disorders, and that treatment should address relevant conditions together.
