Who Does Binge Eating Disorder Affect?
Emotional Overeating vs. Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Emotional overeating is not the same as BED. If you're overeating infrequently and it doesn’t affect the manageability of your life, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have binge eating disorder. However, emotional eating can later blossom into BED.
Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder
It mostly boils down to the following questions you can ask yourself:
How often do you binge? More than once a week?
Are you eating large quantities of food in a short time period?
How do you feel during and after a binge eating episode? Are you eating in hiding because you’re embarrassed by how much you’re eating? Are you ashamed afterwards?
Do you experience a loss of control, not being able to stop eating?
Are you eating until it’s very uncomfortable or even painful?
Are your health and physical limitations becoming unmanageable?
Is your life being hugely impacted by these frequent binges?
Is binging your primary tool for coping with negative emotions like stress, anxiety, boredom, sadness, loneliness, anger, etc.
Is binging a reward for celebrating an accomplishment, excitement, or other positive emotions.
Are you addicted to the foods you’re eating, as well as feeling compelled to do it?
Do you look forward to binging in secret? When you eat without the prying eyes of others, it releases unusual levels of dopamine. Even if people are around, do you feel like sneaking away to eat alone?
Do you eat without any sign of physical hunger? The body has a specialized pathway to tell your brain that you are hungry. When your blood glucose gets low, you may start to act impulsively.
Do you eat at a lightning pace and in isolation? Eating requires sufficient time to chew and swallow each bite. Rushing to finish before getting caught or in a frenzy to self-soothe and not feel negative emotions, is a frequent characteristic of BED.
Binges produce feelings of shame, regret, embarrassment, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, helplessness, hopelessness, and lack of control.
BED can tamper with the normal functioning of the body and it can lead to emotional, physical, and mental stress as well as other diseases.
Who Does Binge Eating Disorder Affect?
A common question people ask is who does binge eating disorder affect?
Some people believe that only women are susceptible to this behavioral dysfunction. This is due to assessment programs portraying women as the only individuals who have eating disorders. But no one is immune from it. Individuals with BED can be young, old, male, female, any race, any ethnicity, and wany sexuality. You may notice the initial signs in your teens but it may not become critical until you are an adult.
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) released a survey showing that up to 3 million American adults suffer from this psychological dysfunction.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that roughly 2% of Americans are susceptible to this condition.
Women represent the biggest category of individuals with BED, with about 60% of all known cases.
3.5% of American women and 2% of men suffer from BED.
Among American adolescents, 1.6% are diagnosed with BED.
A report from NEDA showed that it is prevalent among societal minorities, such as the LGBTQ+ community. This could be due to low acceptance and hostility from other societal groups. As a result, these individuals experience high levels of stress.
Causes of Binge Eating Disorder
As mentioned above, BED is a challenge with its trigger foods and behaviors. Some risk factors developing it are:
Frequent and extended periods of dieting. People who have very restrictive diets, can end up suffering from BED. Since fasting increases your appetite for meals, it may also lead you to eat nonstop.
Genetically transferable from parents. Your genes are chemical substances that contain instructions and habits from your parents. Therefore, if your parents or siblings suffered from it, you have a higher chance of having BED, too.
Home Environment. Living with someone who has BED, increases the likelihood that you will develop it as well due to their exposure to unhealthy foods.
Those with BED are more prone to developing anxiety, depression, and severe stress. But those who already have these disorders can be prone to develop BED.
Challenging Situations. Life is replete with difficult circumstances, such as losing a job, a loved one, or going through a heartbreak. Rather than seek professional care and advice, many people turn to food. If unchecked, this emotional eating can lead to BED.
Poor Self-Esteem and the Media. When you watch television or look through a magazine, for example, you might start asking yourself – am I good enough? Society glorifies people with a perfect body shape, weight, and height. If you do not fit this description, low self-esteem may set in. It could lead to binge eating as a coping tool.
Effects of Binge Eating Disorder
Guilt
Binge eaters tend to feel guilty. Since they failed to control their consumption, they may feel ashamed, embarrassed, and inadequate.
Facial Changes
If you love binge-eating high-sugar, high-fat, high-salt foods and snacks, you stand the risk of developing acne.
Sluggishness
When you load too much food into your body, you have extreme levels of nutrients that the body cannot process optimally. Hence, it slows down body functioning for proper digestion and assimilation.
Nauseous Feelings
A common effect of binge eating is nausea. That is, you become so full that you feel like throwing up. Your body is reacting to the massive influx of nutrients into it. Sometimes, you experience bloating and abdominal complications.
Obesity
Two in three binge eaters are obese. When you ingest high amounts of food without commensurate exercise, the deficit stays in the body. Over time, it leads to obesity, which is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
How To Treat Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder can affect anyone. The most effective method for treatment is to consult a medical expert. Be open and honest about your symptoms and how you feel about yourself. Someone with BED along with depression and anxiety disorder should consult a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. A combination of medications and therapy may help treat all symptoms. However, the more support you have the better. So I highly recommend also seeing an integrative (holistic) nutrition health coach who will focus on the core roots and limiting beliefs of the emotions that cause the irresistible urge to binge.
