Health Information
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Understanding This Symptom
Medical Definition
Subject Matter Expert Verified
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in adults, characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large quantities of food in a discrete period (typically within 2 hours), accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating during the episode.
Unlike bulimia nervosa, binge episodes are not compensated by inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting, fasting, or excessive exercise.
The disorder is associated with significant distress, obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and psychological comorbidities including depression, anxiety, and impaired quality of life.
Quick Facts
What Optimal Health Looks Like
Understanding how your body functions when healthy helps identify dysfunction
A healthy relationship with food involves eating in response to physiological hunger and satiety cues rather than emotional triggers.
The hypothalamus appropriately regulates appetite through ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin (satiety hormone), while the vagal nerve transmits satiety signals from the gut to the brain.
Dopamine pathways in the reward system respond appropriately to food without hyperactivation.
Emotional regulation occurs through multiple coping mechanisms, with food serving its primary biological purpose of nourishment rather than emotional regulation.
Healthy Function
Your body is designed to maintain balance and self-regulate
How This Develops
Reward system hyperactivation - dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens creates compulsive eating behavior similar to addiction pathways; (
HPA axis dysregulation - chronic stress elevates cortisol, which increases food-seeking behavior and abdominal fat storage; (
Leptin resistance - impaired satiety signaling from adipose tissue to the hypothalamus; (
Ghrelin dysregulation - abnormal hunger hormone fluctuations that drive excessive appetite; (
Serotonin dysfunction - reduced serotonergic activity impairs impulse control and mood regulation; (
Prefrontal cortex impairment - reduced executive function and decision-making capacity regarding food; (
Amygdala hijack - emotional triggers bypass rational control to initiate binge episodes; (
Gut-brain axis disruption - altered vagal signaling and microbiome composition affecting satiety; (
Insulin resistance - metabolic dysfunction that increases hunger and promotes fat storage; (
Inflammation - elevated inflammatory cytokines (IL-
Understanding the mechanism helps us target the root cause rather than just treating symptoms.
What Happens If Left Untreated
Understanding the consequences helps you make informed decisions about your health
Short-Term Consequences
Days to weeks
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Time Matters
Don't wait for symptoms to worsen. Early intervention leads to better outcomes.