According to a new study in the Journal of Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders, the likelihood of diabetic retinopathy (DR) developing in people with diabetes increases almost three times in the presence of pathologic eating behaviors.
Tell me about the study.
A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted of major databases, and grey literature were searched from inception until January 6, 2021.
Studies reporting the prevalence of pathologic eating behaviors (against a control group with no pathologic eating behaviors) in individuals with diabetes with and without DR were included.
Seven studies with eight independent outcomes and 1,162 participants were included.
What did they find?
The odds ratio of DR in the total pooled analysis was 2.94 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.86–4.64; P < .001; I2 = 29.59). Two types of eating behavior yielded enough data for sub-group analysis.
Eating disorder not otherwise specified yielded an odds ratio of 2.73 (95% CI 1.81–4.10; P = < .001; I2 = 0.00), and binge eating disorder yielded a nonsignificant odds ratio of 0.92 (95% CI 0.31-2.77; P = .887; I2=0.00).
The take home.
Practitioners working with people with diabetes should closely monitor eating behaviors to prevent this risk.