Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge Eating Disorder

Binge-eating disorder is a serious eating disorder where one frequently consumes unusually large amounts of food and feel unable to stop eating. The excessive overeating feels out of control.

Prevalence

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in adults, affecting approximately 1 to 3% of the general population. Despite this fact, BED tends to receive far less media attention compared to other eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. The rates of BED are comparable among males and females.

Binge Eating vs Bulimia Nervosa

Unlike bulimia nervosa, the binge-eating episode in BED is not associated with efforts to prevent weight gain such as purging, excessive fitness programs, or the use of laxatives. People who are diagnosed with bulimia nervosa and BED demonstrate similar patterns of compulsive overeating, dysfunctional cognitive control, food addiction, and other risk factors.