Birth Control Pills Might Increase Binge Eating Risk, Study Finds

Key TakeawaysCombination birth control pills might increase some women’s risk of binge eatingWomen were more likely to have emotional eating if they were taking active pills versus placebos during their monthly cycleResearchers think the progesterone in the pills drives increased appetite.THURSDAY, June 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Birth control pills might increase some women’s risk of binge eating, a new study reports.Women taking the combination pill were more likely to engage in emotional eating than when they were taking a placebo, researchers reported June 17 in JAMA Network Open.Emotional eating is “the tendency to overeat or binge eat in response to negative emotions,” wrote the research team led by Kelly Klump, a professor of psychology at Michigan State University in East Lansing.“Significantly increased binge eating was observed when women were using active versus inactive combined oral contraceptive hormone pills,” the team reported.The combination pill apparently mimics the riskiest hormonal profile linked to binge eating, researchers said — elevated estradiol and progesterone levels that occur just after a woman has ovulated.About 85% of women on the pill use this type of combination pill, researchers said in background notes.“Nonetheless, it’s important to note that not every woman in the study developed binge eating — they are safe for many women, and it’s likely that the risk is targeted to those with other risk factors,” Klump said in a news release.“Future studies are needed to better identify who is at risk and inform personalized medicine approaches to women’s health,” she added.For the new study, researchers tracked changes in binge eating across 49 days — two birth control cycles — among a group of 422 women taking combination pills, which contain both estrogen and progestin.The women filled out daily questionnaires regarding their eating behaviors and diet, which researchers tracked along with where they were on their birth control cycle.In both cycles, women were more likely to have emotional eating if they were taking the active birth control pill versus the inactive pills contained in each pack.The results showed that this stemmed directly from the birth control pills, and not from any kind of negative mood, noted Dr. Deena Hailoo, obesity medical director for Northwell Health’s Huntington, Plainview and Syosset hospitals in New York. She reviewed the findings.“It was not about distress or stress events in any way; it was primarily due to being on the contraceptive,” said Hailoo, who was not involved in the study.This emotional eating is likely due to the progesterone in the combo pill, she said.“Where estrogen really helps with appetite suppression and maintaining weight, progesterone does the opposite,” Hailoo said. “Progesterone tends to increase appetite and cravings in general.”Researchers also found that the act of reporting on binge eating every day helped decrease instances of emotional eating among the study’s participants — even on days when they were taking active hormone pills.“We found that self-monitoring was an effective tool in mitigating risk for women in the study,” researcher Klump said. “The more we can equip women with tools and educate medical providers about these risks, the more effective care can be given.”Hailoo pointed to the signficance of this.“That tells me that the actual contraceptive can interact with brain pathways, increasing reward pathways, increasing cravings, but that it's not out of control, so that when we do recognize it's happening, it actually can be controlled,” she said.She addresses this with her patients.“We do tell people to try to keep a food journal because that would help a lot to see their own behavior written down,” Hailoo said.More research is needed to see if other types of birth control, like IUDs or implants, have a similar effect on appetite and eating patterns, she said.“From my own expertise, when I see a lot of women who are gaining weight, have gained weight or having a hard time trying to lose weight, we have to kind of look at all of the history and look at what birth control they're on, what other medications they're on, if they have any psychiatric history or any other medical history,” Hailoo said.This sort of individual focus is needed “before we can simply say, ‘Hey, it looks like this medication or this birth control should be changed,’ because it doesn't affect everybody the same way,” Hailoo said.More informationPlanned Parenthood has more on the birth control pill.SOURCES: Michigan State University, news release, June 17, 2026; Dr. Deena Hailoo, obesity medical director, Northwell Health’s Huntington, Plainview and Syosset hospitals in New York; JAMA Network Open, June 17, 2026 .What This Means For YouWomen concerned about their weight should use a food journal to track their eating patterns, which can provide valuable insights..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Birth Control Pills Might Increase Binge Eating Risk, Study Finds

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