Emotional eating shows stronger link to elevated BMI in adults than youth in this meta-analysis

PURPOSE: Emotional eating (EE), the tendency to eat in response to emotions rather than physiological hunger, has been associated with increased Body Mass Index (BMI). However, findings remain inconsistent, and no meta-analysis has examined whether the EE-BMI association differs across developmental stages. This study aimed to synthesize evidence on the relationship between EE and weight status in youth and adults. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase and PsycINFO was conducted in September 2025 and updated in January 2026, yielding 2667 records. Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 41 studies met inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Samples comprised youth (12-21 years; k = 20) and adults (≥ 22 years; k = 21). Random-effects models were estimated using standardized mean differences (Hedges' g). RESULTS: Overall, individuals with elevated BMI (≥ 25 kg/m) reported higher EE scores than those with recommended BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m) (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI [0.18, 0.36], p < .001), with substantial heterogeneity (I = 91.8%). In subgroup analyses, EE scores were higher in obesity than in overweight (k = 19; SMD = 0.25, 95% CI [0.14, 0.36], p < .001). Age moderated the association in categorical models: Using a 21-year cut-off, the effect was not significant in youth (SMD = -0.04, p = .774) and was significantly stronger in adults (β = 0.20, p = .020); sensitivity analyses showed a similar moderation using an 18-year cut-off, but not using a 24-year cut-off. Study-level sex composition also moderated effects, with stronger EE-BMI associations in samples with a higher proportion of women (β = 0.53, p = .037). CONCLUSIONS: EE is positively associated with elevated BMI in adulthood, whereas this association was not observed in youth. Overall, the findings support prior evidence of a positive association between emotional eating and elevated BMI, particularly in adulthood. By contrast, age-related differences suggest that this association may not operate uniformly across developmental stages.