Binge Eating Disorder: causes, consequences and treatment

We explain what this eating disorder consists of.

For many of us there are certain days of the year (such as New Year's Eve dinner) when we eat "until we can't fit anything else in our bellies". For those who suffer from binge eating disorderFor those suffering from binge eating disorder, this type of "binge eating" is common and ends up becoming an uncomfortable part of their daily lives, with serious negative consequences for their health.

What is binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder is a severe eating disorder in which the person with the disorder frequently consumes large amounts of food and feels that he or she has lost control during binge eating.. After overeating, severe distress or concern about weight often follows.

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

Like anorexia and bulimia, binge eating disorder is a serious illness, but it is treatable. It often coexists with illnesses such as depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse.

Symptoms

The following are the main symptoms of binge eating disorder:

• Eating exaggerated amounts of food
• Frequent feeling of lack of control over the amount of food eaten
• Eating faster than normal
• Eating in spite of being full and unpleasant.
• Eating large amounts of food, despite not being hungry
• Eating only out of embarrassment about how much you eat
• After binge eating, feeling sad, depressed or embarrassed
• Frequent weight changes
• Low self-esteem
• Loss of sexual desire
• Frequent unsuccessful dieting

Causes

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

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

Some studies seem to indicate that there might also be Biological factors related to binge eating disorderfor example, the involvement of certain genes in the development of the pathology. Other research confirms that serotonin is related to this disorder, and suggests that estrogen hormone therapy may specifically trigger brain neurons that produce serotonin to inhibit binge eating.

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

Negative health consequences

Depression may not only be a cause, but can also be a negative consequence of this type of eating disorder, since after binge eating sufferers feel bad and their self-esteem is affected.

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

• Arterial hypertension
• Diabetes
• High cholesterol
• Gall bladder stones
• Heart disease

Treatment of binge eating disorder

These types of disorders should 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 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy or Mindfulness may be helpful for the patient to overcome the disorder.

• Pharmacology Certain medications such as SSRIS (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) or Topiramate have shown their efficacy for treatment.

• The advice of a nutritionist Once the symptoms have been reduced, a dietician can design a diet for a better relationship between the patient's diet and his or her well-being.