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Binge Eating Disorder – Compulsive Overeating
Binge eating disorder is a disorder of nutrition, a disorder of overeating, the most common eating disorder and unlike anorexia or bulimia those that have this disorder do not try and throw up, purge, or over exercise to get rid of the food that they have over consumed, and as a result those with this disorder are often overweight.
Unlike anorexia or bulimia, binge eating disorder is not mostly a female disease, with this disorder only slightly more females are affected than males. The disease is primarily found in those areas of the world where food is plentiful which means Western/industrialized nations.
Causes
The causes of this disorder are thought to be related to stress and conflict. These individuals seek to soothe themselves through consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time. Not all of those who have the disorder are overweight it is the underlying behavior that characterizes those with the disorder. Those that have the disorder are often also depressed.
Warning Signs
• Binge eating episodes
• Eating when not hungry
• Dieting frequently
• Feelings of being unable to stop eating voluntarily
• An awareness that their eating patterns are not normal
• Fluctuations in weight
• Depression
• Attributing their social and professional successes and failures to their weight
Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder
If the disease is not treated the consequences can be life threatening for those that are obese and can include type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, degenerative joint disease and certain types of cancers.
Treatment involves the involvement of a multidisciplinary team of physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and nutritionists, as well as support groups. Therapy helps the individual to identify their underlying emotions that trigger the episodes of bingeing and to help them to separate true biological hunger from emotional hunger. Some patients may also benefit from taking antidepressants which alter the brain’s serotonin levels reducing the urge to binge.
For more information about binge eating disorder click on the link to womenshealth.gov
For other information on nutrition some great references are:
• Nutrition – Fourth Edition by Paul Insel, Don Ross, Kimberley McMahon, and Melissa Bernstein
Nutrition Eating Disorders |
