Psychoeducation about expected body mass index (BMI) trajectory may challenge eating disorder patients' long-term fat phobic predictions, a recent study found. Researchers examined 22-year longitudinal trajectories of BMI in women with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN). Participants were followed over 10 years (n=225) and at 22-year follow-up (n=175). They found:

• At 22 years, 14% were underweight, 69% were normal weight, and only 17% were overweight or obese.
• Greater increases from intake to year 2 predicted higher BMI at 22 years and were predicted by intake diagnosis of AN-restricting or AN-binge eating/purging.
• BMI increased most rapidly during earlier years of the study for those with lower weight at study intake (ie, AN) and plateaued over time, settling in the normal range for most.