Binge eating disorder: causes and consequences

For many of us there are certain days of the year (like New Year's Eve dinner) when we eat "until nothing else fits in our belly." For those who suffer the Binge eating disorder, This type of "binge" is common and ends up becoming something uncomfortable in your day to day, with serious negative consequences for health.

What is Binge Eating Disorder?

Binge eating disorder is a serious eating disorder in which the person suffering from it frequently eats large amounts of food and feels like she has lost control during the binge. After overeating, severe distress or weight concern usually appears.

Eating disorders usually develop during adolescence or adulthood, although they can also appear in childhood. Binge eating disorder differs from bulimia nervosa, since the person who suffers from it does not seek to counteract the binge by causing vomiting.

like the anorexy and the bulimia, binge eating disorder is a serious illness, but it can be treated. It usually coexists with diseases such as depression, anxiety disorders and substance abuse.

Symptoms

Here are the main symptoms of binge eating disorder:

• Eating exaggerated amounts of food
• Frequent feeling of lack of control over the amount of food that is eaten
• Eat faster than normal
• Eating despite being full and unhappy
• Eating large amounts of food, despite not being hungry
• Eating just out of shame at how much you eat
• After bingeing, feeling sad, depressed, or ashamed
• Frequent weight changes
• Low self-esteem
• Loss of sexual desire
• Going on frequent unsuccessful diets

Causes

The causes of this disorder are unknown, although it is thought that there are several factors associated with its development. Depression seems to be one of the causes, as most patients suffer from a depressive disorder.

There also seems to be a relationship between emotional management and binge eating disorder, since anger, sadness, boredom, or stress favor the development of symptoms.

Some studies seem to indicate that there could also be biological factors related to binge eating disorder, for example, the involvement of certain genes in the development of the pathology. Other research confirms that serotonin is related to this disorder, and they suggest that estrogen hormone therapy It can specifically fire neurons in the brain that produce serotonin to inhibit binge eating.

In addition, other causes of binge eating disorder seem to be: impulsivity or alcohol abuse.

Negative health consequences

Depression can not only be a cause, but it can be a negative consequence of this type of eating disorder, since after binge eating, those who suffer from this pathology feel bad and see their self-esteem affected.

Weight gain is another negative consequence and produces serious health consequences, such as the following:

• Arterial hypertension
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Gallbladder stones
• Heart disease

Treatment of binge eating disorder

These types of disorders must be treated by a specialist and the goals for treatment are: reduction of binge eating, improvement of emotional and physical well-being, and weight loss.

Therefore, useful treatment may include:

• Psychotherapy The Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or the Mindfulness They can be of great help in helping the patient overcome the disorder.

• Pharmacology Certain medications such as SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) or the Topiramate have been shown to be effective for treatment.

• Advice from a nutritionist Once symptoms are reduced, a dietitian can design a diet for a better relationship between the patient's diet and their well-being.