Behavioral and Neuroendocrine Characteristics of the Night-Eating Syndrome

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Abstract
Night-eating syndrome (NES), characterized by morning anorexia, evening hyperphagia, and insomnia, was described in 1955 by Stunkard and colleagues.1 It occurred during periods of stress and was associated with a poor outcome of efforts at weight reduction. Since 1955, NES has not been subjected to careful clinical study, but its prevalence has been estimated at 1.5% in the general population,2 8.9% in an obesity clinic,3 12% of the obese patients in a nutrition clinic,4 and 27% and 26%, respectively, in 2 samples of severely obese persons.2,5 Although it does occur among nonobese persons, NES appears to be more common among obese persons and to increase in prevalence with increasing adiposity.