Binge Eating Explained

Bingeing is any activity that is done in an extreme way, such as eating, drinking or spending money.

Binge eating is often associated with dieting and its connected disorders of anorexia nervosa (extreme and long term dangerous dieting) and bulimia (when individuals binge eat and then vomit to prevent weight gain). Binge eating can have serious long-term consequences, both physical and emotional.

There is no one single cause for binge eating, which can make finding a cure particularly difficult. Like most eating disorders, it is generally seen as a way of coping with feelings of unhappiness, depression and low self-esteem. Experts believe that media pressure to be slim and attractive may fuel the guilty feelings people experience in relation to food. The exact number of people in the UK suffering from eating disorders is not known, but 200,000 a year are thought to suffer from bulimia. Most are young women, traditionally the group most at risk of binge eating, but young men are increasingly succumbing to the same destructive eating habits. One in ten bulimia sufferers is male, according to the Wellcome Trust.

Binge eating is characterised by a sense of having lost control over eating. People with the disorder may find themselves eating large amounts of food even when not hungry, usually in a short period of time. This is accompanied by feelings of guilt or disgust at having consumed so much. The self-loathing binge eaters feel when they overeat highlights underlying psychological issues which are often both a cause and an effect of the disorder.

Certain personality types, such as givers, helpers, worriers and pleasers may be susceptible to the condition. Jobs that require weight control, such as modeling and dancing, or which place people in a food environment may also trigger binge eating.

Stress is another common trigger of eating disorders. Events such as moving house, job or school, or the death of a friend or relative, are often linked to eating problems.

Bingeing is a mental disorder, but it does have physical effects, which create a ‘high’ followed by a ‘crash’. Binge eating causes a surge of blood glucose, which stimulates the pancreas into producing insulin - a hormone naturally produced by the body to regulate the amount of glucose in the blood. This means that after the initial ‘high’, blood sugar levels actually fall rapidly, which sends a false message to the brain that we need more food to top up glucose levels. This results in cravings for sugary foods that will provide a quick glucose ‘fix’.

The solution to controlling binge eating lies in stopping the destructive cycle of bingeing and guilt as a way of dealing with emotional problems. It is possible to recover fully from the problem, and certain forms of therapy may help, such as counselling, self-help and support groups, psychotherapy and diet advice.

The National Centre for Eating Disorders - http://www.eating-disorders.org.uk