Journal of Nutritional Disorders & Therapy

An Editorial Note on Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Stella Allen^* Private University in Los Angeles, California, United States
^*Correspondence: Stella Allen, Private University in Los Angeles, California, United States, Email:

Received: 08-Sep-2021 Published: 18-Sep-2021, DOI: 10.35248/2161-0509.21.11.156

Editorial

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is an eating disorder defined by recurring binge eating episodes with significant psychological and social consequences, but without the compensatory behaviours seen in bulimia nervosa, OSFED, or the anorexia nervosa bingepurge subtype. BED is a newly defined condition that was created to separate binge eating that is comparable to bulimia nervosa but does not involve purging. Bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder patients have similar compulsive overeating habits, neurobiological hallmarks of poor cognitive control and food addiction, and biological and environmental risk factors. BED is considered by some doctors to be a lesser variant of bulimia, with the two diseases being on the same continuum. Binge eating disorder is one of the most common eating disorders among adults, albeit it receives less public attention and research than anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Some experts believe that BED is a lesser variant of bulimia, and that the two disorders are on the same scale. In comparison to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, binge eating is one of the most common eating disorders among adults, yet it receives less public attention and research.

Symptoms and signs

Binge eating is the most common sign of BED, however not everyone who binges has the disorder. Many of the harmful physical, psychological, and social repercussions of BED can be avoided by binge eating on occasion. Rather than being a clinical disorder, this might be deemed disordered eating. Although precisely identifying binge eating can be difficult, BED episodes are commonly defined as having the following potential features:

• Eating significantly more quickly than usual, possibly in a short period of time.

• Consumption of food till uncomfortably full.

• When you're not hungry, you eat a lot. • Subjective loss of control over the amount and type of food consumed.

• Due to embarrassment over the amount of food consumed, people eat alone or in secret.

• During the binge, you may experience a disoriented mental state.

• After the binge, being unable to recall what was consumed.

• Following a binge, you may experience feelings of guilt, embarrassment, or disgust.

• Disturbance of body image.

Binge eating episodes, unlike bulimia nervosa, are not frequently followed by actions designed to compensate for the amount of food consumed, such as self-induced vomiting, laxative or enema abuse, or intense exercise. Overeating rather than nutritional restriction characterises BED. BED sufferers usually have a negative body image and attempt to diet, but fail owing to the severity of their binge eating. Obesity, sadness, low self-esteem, tension, and boredom are all typical in people with BED. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, menstrual irregularities such as amenorrhea, and gastrointestinal disorders such as acid reflux and heartburn are all risks for those with BED.

Causes

Binge eating, like other eating disorders, is a "expressive condition," meaning it is a symptom of underlying psychological issues. Weight bias internalisation, which encompasses low self-esteem, harmful eating practises, and general body dissatisfaction, has been reported to be more prevalent in those with binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is frequently caused by or a side consequence of depression, as it is usual for people to reach for comfort foods when they are feeling sad. Many people believed that binge eating disorder was caused by personal choices, therefore it was difficult to elevate it to the rank of a full-fledged eating disorder. Previous research has looked at the link between body image and eating disorders, concluding that disordered eating may be linked to strict diets. Extreme and inflexible dietary restriction leads to the development of binge eating, weight regain, bulimia nervosa, or a mixed form of eating disorder not otherwise characterised in the majority of instances of anorexia.