Binge Eating Disorder Quiz: Test Your Medical IQ

Binge eating disorder (BED) involves eating an unusually large amount of food at one sitting, and a loss of control over one's eating habits. It can cause people to be overweight or obese. Many people who have binge eating disorder feel guilt, shame, and distress after a binge, which can lead to more binge eating. Binge eating disorder does not involve compensatory behavior such as vomiting or laxative abuse as seen with bulimia nervosa.

Poor self-control has nothing to do with binge eating disorder. While the causes of binge eating and other eating disorders remain unknown, it is believed they involve abnormal brain activity. Some factors that may affect binge eating include:

-Depression. Nearly half of all people with binge eating disorder have suffered from depression at some point.

-Dieting. When people skip meals or don't eat enough, it may trigger binge eating episodes.

-Coping skills. Studies suggest that people with binge eating may have trouble handling some of their emotions. Many people who are binge eaters say that being angry, sad, bored, worried, or stressed can cause them to binge eat.

-Biology. Brain chemicals and metabolism (the way the body uses calories) may affect binge eating disorder. Genes may also be a factor in binge eating, since the disorder may run in the family.

Some behaviors and emotional problems are seen more frequently in people with binge eating disorder, including alcohol abuse, impulsive behavior, and feelings of not having control over themselves or not feeling a part of their communities.

Binge eating disorder affects women more than men. About 4 million people in the U.S. have binge eating disorder. At a young age, girls start to become concerned about their weight or body shape, and by elementary school (ages 6-12) up to 60% of girls worry about their weight or becoming overweight. This anxiety may follow them into adulthood, and might explain why more women than men may have eating disorders.

A person with binge eating disorder is likely to eat quickly during a binge, eat to the point of physical discomfort, and to eat without being hungry. They are often upset or embarrassed by their binge eating, and will eat alone, feeling depressed and guilty after they have overeaten. They may feel so disgusted with themselves they miss work, school, or social activities and binge eat. People with binge eating disorder tend to report more health problems including stress, difficulty sleeping, and suicidal thoughts than people who don't have eating disorders.

Memory, sleep, and heart function may all be affected in people with binge eating disorder. These functions along with sexual function, physical growth and development, appetite and digestion, kidney function, emotions, and thinking are all regulated by the neuroendocrine system. It is believed that the neuroendocrine system in people with eating disorders may not be functioning properly.

People tend to binge eat because they feel stress or anxiety they are trying to relieve with food, usually junk foods. People who have binge eating disorder are at higher risk for depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.

There is a link between binge eating disorder and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder). As stated in previous slides, people with binge eating disorder also tend to suffer from depression and anxiety. There may be a link between these disorders, as biochemical similarities have been discovered between people with eating disorders and OCD. Antidepressant medications that affect serotonin function in the body can be helpful for some people with binge eating disorder.

Besides overweight/obesity other health risks are associated with binge eating disorder include:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Heart disease (results from elevated triglyceride levels)
- Type II diabetes
- Gallbladder disease
- Musculoskeletal problems

A binge eater may consume from 5,000 to 15,000 calories all in one sitting. This may be in addition to meals, snacks, and overeating throughout the day. Binge eating disorder may occur on its own or be accompanied by another eating disorder such as bulimia. In bulimia people binge eat and then purge the foods they've eaten, often by vomiting laxative use, or excessive exercise.