Binge Eating Disorder - Symptoms and Causes Binge eating also occurs in another eating disorder called bulimia. People with bulimia, however, usually purge, fast, or do strenuous exercise after binge eating. Purging means vomiting or using a lot of diuretics (water pills) or laxatives to avoid gaining weight. Fasting is not eating for at least 24 hours. intense exercise, in this case, the means to pursue more than an hour just to avoid gaining weight after binge eating. Purging, fasting and overexercising dangerous means to try to control your weight.
Binge eating disorder is a newly recognized condition that probably affects millions of Americans. People with binge eating disorder often eat large amounts of food while feeling a loss of control over their food. This disorder is different from binge purge syndrome (bulimia nervosa) because people with binge eating disorder usually do not purge by vomiting or then using laxatives.
Symptoms of binge eating
When you have a disorder bulimia, sometimes called overeating, you regularly eat excessive amounts of food (binge). A binge is considered eating a large amount of food most people eat in similar situations. For example, you can eat 10,000 to 20,000 calories worth of food during a binge, while someone following a normal diet can eat 1500-3000 calories per day.
Children and teens who sometimes eat a lot are not necessarily binge eating disorder. Children can have huge appetites, especially during growth spurts, when they need more nutrients to fuel their growing bodies. Thus, it can be difficult to determine whether a child has binge eating disorder. But several signs distinguish someone who eats cooked for someone with an appetite for "healthy".
Binge eating symptoms are also present in bulimia. The formal diagnosis criteria are similar in that subjects must binge at least twice a week for a minimum period of three months. Unlike bulimia, people with BED do not purge, fast or to engage in exercise after binge eating. In addition, bulimics are usually of normal weight, underweight, but were overweight before, or slightly overweight, while those who binge eating disorder are usually overweight or obese.
Causes of Binge Eating Disorder
There is no single cause for eating disorders. Although concerns about weight and body shape play a role in all eating disorders, the actual cause of these disorders appear to result from many factors, including cultural and family pressures and emotional personality disorders. Genetic and biological factors may also play a role.
The causes of binge eating disorder are still unknown. Up to half of all people with binge eating disorder have a history of depression. Whether depression is a cause or effect of binge eating is unclear. It can be independent. Many people say that anger, sadness, boredom, anxiety or other negative emotions can trigger an episode of madness. impulsive behavior and certain other psychological problems may be more common in people with binge eating disorder.
Biological vulnerability may play a role in the development of disorder bulimia. Both genes and brain chemicals may be involved. In addition, researchers are studying appetite regulation of central nervous system indices, as well as gastrointestinal changes that might shed light on the causes.
Certain behaviors and emotional problems are more common in people with binge eating disorder. These include alcohol abuse, to act quickly without thinking (impulsive behavior), not feeling in charge of themselves, do not feel part of their communities, and not to notice and talk about their feelings.
Posted on March 10, 2010.