Binge Eating Disorder

Did you know that the most common eating disorder isn’t Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa? Actually, the most common eating disorder isn’t even one that is recognized to be of its own category, but is part of the recognized eating disorder Bulimia Nervosa – the disorder is called Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Binge Eating Disorder is defined as an eating disorder where an individual/person consumes unusually large quantities of food without the use of compensatory measures to counter the binge eating and they feel that their eating is out of control. People with Binge Eating Disorder show characteristic behaviors such as: eating much more quickly than usual during binge episodes, eat until uncomfortably full, eat alone because they are embarrassed about the amount of food that they eat, feel disgusted/guilty for overeating, and try to hide their behavior from friends and family members.

The prevalence of Binge Eating Disorder is estimated to be approximately 1-5% of the general population and is found to be more common than even Anorexia and Bulimia themselves. This disorder affects women slightly more often than men – with estimates that say the ratio is 60% female to 40% male, and is usually seen more in older adults with an age range of 46 to 55 years old. Individuals who struggle with Binge Eating can be of normal or average weight, although most of the time the disease is more common with people who struggle with their weight and are severely obese. People who are obese and have binge eating disorder often became overweight at a younger age than those without the disorder. They might also lose and gain weight more often, a process known as weight cycling or “yo-yo dieting” due to their struggles with the emotional distress that this disease can be known to cause.

There is no known cause for BED and as many as half of all the people with this issue are depressed or have been depressed in the past. Some of the complications that can be caused by this disease can be heart problems, gallbladder disease, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, digestive problems, headaches, and of course weight gain. Most people who binge eat, whether they are obese or not, feel ashamed and try to hide their problem from their friends and family. They get so good at hiding their issue that even close family and friends may not recognized the fact that their loved one has this problem.

Eating disorders, no matter what type – Anorexia, Bulimia, or Binge Eating – is not something to ignore and will go away. It is a serious problem that needs professional help for the individual that is struggling with this issue. There are many resources and treatment clinics available that can help. I’ve included the health link to the National Eating Disorder website under my health links in the right hand column (There is also a good YouTube BED Documentary Video under the links site too). If you think someone you love my have this problem get them help. Eating disorders are some of the most common problems out there, but they are treatable as long as you get the proper help and treatment.

References:

National Eating Disorders Association, Binge Eating Disorder. Publican 2005: http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/nedaDir/files/documents/handouts/BingeED.pdf

Weight-Control Information Network, US Dept of Health and Human Resources. Publican No. 04-3589, June 2008: http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/binge.htm