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A person with a binge eating disorder consumes a large amount of food within two hours, and does it often. Having a binge eating disorder means being unable to control the amount of food consumed. You are unable to stop eating, even when you are full.
Most of us overeat from time to time, and many people often feel they've eaten more than they should have. But, does this mean we are "binge eaters"? Probably not: Eating a lot of food does not always mean that a person has an eating problem.
How Common Is Binge Eating?
Binge eating disorder is probably the most common eating disorder.
About 2% of all adults in the U.S. (as many as 4 million Americans) have binge eating disorder. About 10%-15% of people who are mildly obese and who try to lose weight on their own or through commercial weight-loss programs have this condition. The disorder is even more common in people who are severely obese.
Unlike other eating disorders -- such as bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa -- a substantial number of men suffer from binge eating disorder, but it is still more common in women. It is more common among the severely overweight, but can be found among people of any weight.
What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?
No one knows. Scientists do know that about half of the people with the condition have had depression. But whether depression causes binge eating disorder or the other way around isn't clear. Furthermore, impulsive behavior and certain other emotional problems can be more common in people with binge eating disorder. Many people who are binge eaters say that being angry, sad, bored, or worried can cause them to binge eat.
It is also unclear if dieting and binge eating are related. Some studies show that about half of all people with binge eating disorder had binge episodes before they started to diet.
Researchers also are looking into how brain chemicals and metabolism (the way the body uses calories) affect binge eating disorder. This research is still in the early stages.
Is Binge Eating Unhealthy?
Yes, binge eating has been linked to the following conditions:
- Malnutrition.
- Depression
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Gallbladder disease
- Heart disease
- Cancer
What Are the Signs of Binge Eating Disorder?
Someone with a binge eating disorder has frequent episodes of binge eating, occurring at least two days a week for six months.
Binge eating episodes are associated with at least three of the following symptoms:
- Eating rapidly
- Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
- Eating when not hungry
- Eating alone because of embarrassment
- Feeling disgusted, depressed or guilty after overeating
While binge eaters are typically distressed about this pattern, they do not induce vomiting, fast, or abuse laxatives or diuretics.
Binge eating also occurs with another eating disorder, called bulimia nervosa. Persons with bulimia nervosa, however, usually purge, fast, or do strenuous exercise after they binge eat. Purging means vomiting or using a lot of diuretics (water pills) or laxatives to keep from gaining weight. Fasting is not eating for at least 24 hours. Strenuous exercise, in this case, means exercising for more than an hour just to keep from gaining weight after binge eating. Purging, fasting, and over exercising are dangerous ways to try to control your weight.
Often, a person with binge eating disorder feels overweight and has a history of trying to lose weight many times. Yet many failed diets may leave them feeling powerless over the binge-eating pattern.
How Is Binge Eating Treated?
People with binge eating disorder should get help from a health professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker. Even people who are not overweight are usually upset by their binge eating, and treatment can help them.
Treatment usually focuses on improving self-esteem and confidence rather than on losing weight.
Short-term psychotherapy -- or group therapy -- can be very helpful, as can cognitive behavioral therapy, where behaviors that cause the binge eating are changed. Typically, this involves keeping a diary of food eaten, binge episodes, and moods to identify patterns of events, situations, or moods that trigger the binge-eating episodes. Individuals are also taught coping skills to help deal with stressors that contribute to binge eating.
For some people, antidepressants like Prozac may also help.
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Source: Your Health Encyclopedia, 4-rd Edition, 2002
Last Revised at December 4, 2007 by Harutyun Medina, M.D.
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