Binge Eating Disorder History

An ailment or disorder that resembles bulimia nervosa is binge eating disorder. Like bulimia disorder, the binge eating disorder is characterized by episodes of uncontrolled eating or binging. Binge eating disorder however, differs from bulimia disorder because its sufferers do not purge their bodies of excess food.

Individuals with binge eating disorder can often feel that they lose control of themselves while eating. The disordered people eat large quantities of food and do not stop until their stomach uncomfortably get filled up. Normally, these people have more difficulty losing body weight and keeping it off than do people with other serious weight problems. Most of the people with this type of Binge eating disorder are obese and have a history of weight fluctuations. Binge eating disorder is commonly found in about 2 percent on the general population, more often in women than men. Recent studies show that binge eating disorder occurs in about 30 percent of people participating in clinically supervised body weight control programs.

Although it has only recently been considered as a distinct disordered condition, binge eating disorder is probably the most common eating disorder. Most people with binge eating disorder are overweight or obese i.e., more than 20 percent people above a healthy body weight, but normal-weight people also can be affected. Binge eating disorder generally affects 2 percent of all adults. Among adolescent and young people women as much as 4 percent suffer from binge-eating disorder. Recent study on this disorder shows about 30 percent of people participating in medically supervised eating disorder programs suffer from binge eating.

Binge eating disorder is more common ailment in women, with three women affected for every two men. The eating disorder affects blacks as often as whites; its frequency in other ethnic groups is not yet known. Over weight people with binge eating disorder often became obese at a younger age than those without the disorder. People with this problem also may have more frequent episodes of losing and regaining weight. The actual causes of binge eating disorder are still unknown. Up to half of all people with this disorder have a history of mental depression. However, whether depression is a main cause or effect of binge eating is unclear. Most of the people report that sadness, anger, boredom, anxiety or other negative emotions can trigger a binge episode.

Impulsive activities and certain other psychological problems may be more common in people suffering from binge eating disorder. The effect of diet plan on binge eating disorder is also not clear. The early research suggests that about half of all people with this type of eating disorder had binge episodes before they started to diet. Strict diet plan may worsen binge eating in some people.

Several ways of treatments are being used to treat binge eating disorder. Like all other eating disorders, binge eating should be treated on both a psychological and physical aspect. Several studies have revealed that people with binge eating disorder may find it harder than other people to stay in constant weight loss treatment. Binge eaters also may be more likely to regain their excessive body weight quickly and for that reason, people with the disorder may require sustained treatment that focuses on their binge eating before they try to lose weight.

• Juliana Breckinridge
• 23/01/2009, 8:59 AM
• 0 Comments