Exercise-induced reward satiation in women with and without eating disorders

Introduction: Persons with eating disorders often exercise in a driven manner. Traditionally conceptualized as a means for increasing energy expenditure to influence body weight and shape or to regulate negative emotions, recent research indicates that experiencing positive affect after exercising and achieving a state of satisfaction may be an important positive reinforcer of driven exercise.

Methods: Thirty-three women without eating disorders, 33 female athletes without eating disorders, and 24 women with eating disorders who reported engaging in driven exercise participated in this laboratory study, during which they either cycled 30 min (prescribed condition) or cycled as long as they wished for up to 45 min (self-paced condition) at approximately 70% age-adjusted maximum heart rate while ratings on reward satiation were collected.

Results: Women with eating disorders showed an attenuated increase in reward satiation compared to the other two groups in both conditions. They also decided to cycle longer than the women without eating disorders (but similar to the athletes) in the self-paced condition.

Conclusion: This is the first study that examined driven exercise with a laboratory paradigm from a reward-related perspective. Findings suggest that a reduced reward response may contribute to maintain driven exercise in persons with eating disorders.

 

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Publication History

Article published online:
15 September 2025