The International journal of eating disordersJul 22, 2009

How reliable and useful night eating syndrome is for diagnosis and treatment

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 3, 2026

Abstract

A review identified 47 empirical studies related to Night Eating Syndrome (NES).

Varying definitions of NES exist within the literature.
Reliable measurement of night eating symptoms has been partially achieved.
Evidence for distinguishing NES from normal eating patterns or other eating disorders is primarily based on convenience samples.
Only one controlled treatment study focusing on NES has been published.
Limited data exists regarding the clinical utility and validity of NES.

Simplified

OBJECTIVE: To review the empirical literature for evidence in support of inclusion of Night Eating Syndrome (NES) in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

METHOD: Based on a literature search using PubMed, 47 empirical studies of NES were identified.

RESULTS: The literature reflects use of varying definitions; progress has been made toward reliable measurement of night eating symptoms; evidence regarding a differentiation of NES from "normalcy" or from other eating disorders is based largely on samples of convenience; only one controlled treatment study has been published.

DISCUSSION: There are limited data supporting the clinical utility and validity of NES; several options regarding the inclusion of NES in DSM-V are discussed.

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How reliable and useful night eating syndrome is for diagnosis and treatment

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