For some people, though, overeating like this doesn't just become a way of life, it takes over their life. It's called binge-eating disorder, and although people with this
condition feel embarrassed and ashamed about gorging themselves for what could be hours on end and resolve to stop doing it, they also feel a compulsion to continue.
Binge eating is different from normal appetite increases or overeating from time to time. People with a binge eating problem consume unusually large amounts of food on a regular basis. They often eat quickly, and they don't stop eating when they become full.
Binge eating involves more than just eating a lot. With binge eating, a person feels out of control and powerless to stop eating while he or she is doing it. That's why binge eating is also called compulsive overeating.Complications resulting from prolonged bulimia include gastric dilatation , pancreatitis , dental decay, pharyngitis , esophagitis , pulmonary (lung) aspiration , and electrolyte abnormalities.
Binge eating disorder is a psychiatric disorder in which a subject:
*periodically does not exercise control over consumption of food
*eats an unusually large amount of food at one time, like a whole pizza
*eats much more quickly during binge episodes than during normal eating episodes
*eats until physically uncomfortable
*eats large amounts of food, even when they are not really hungry
*always eats alone during binge eating episodes, in order to avoid discovery of the disorder
*often eats alone during periods of normal eating, owing to feelings of embarrassment about food
*feels disgusted, depressed, or guilty after binge eating .
Today, there are several surgical procedures used for achieving weight loss.It's always best to lose weight through a healthy diet and regular physical activity. But if you're among those who have tried and can't lose the excess weight that's causing your health problems, weight-loss (bariatric) surgery may be an option.
Regular binge eating before surgery does not increase the risk of poor outcomes in the first year after gastric bypass surgery (also referred to as "bariatric" surgery), in extremely obese patients, according to a report in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
"Whether or not individuals with binge eating problems represent a surgical risk or have a poor prognosis following surgery has been a topic of heated debate," Dr. Marney A. White told Reuters Health. "Our study found that bariatric patients -- regardless of whether or not they binge eat before surgery -- show substantial weight losses in the 12-months following surgery."
This operation is the most common gastric bypass procedure performed in the U.S. First, a small stomach pouch is created by stapling part of the stomach together or by vertical banding. This limits how much food you can eat. Next, a Y-shaped section of the small intestine is attached to the pouch to allow food to bypass the duodenum as well as the first portion of the jejunum. This causes reduced calorie and nutrient absorption. This procedure can now be done with a laparoscope (a thin telescope-like instrument for viewing inside the abdomen) in some people. This involves using small incisions and generally has a more rapid recovery time.
White from Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut and colleagues compared weight loss, depression, self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder features before surgery and at 12 months after surgery among 139 extremely obese patients.
Nearly 40 percent of the patients reported binge eating at least once during the 28 days before surgery, the authors report. About 10 percent met criteria for binge eating disorder.
Although the binge-eating patients tended to be more distressed before surgery than those who did not binge, the binge eaters experienced greater reductions in depression after surgery, to the extent that there were no significant group differences at follow-up.
Body mass index declined over the 12 months after surgery to a similar extent among regular binge-eaters, infrequent binge-eaters, and non-binge-eaters, the researchers note.
Overall, the average body mass index (the ratio of body weight to height) was 51.7 before surgery and 33.3 one year after surgery.
"Overall, pre-operative binge eating does not appear to be a negative prognostic indicator for surgery in the initial 12-month period following surgery, in that patients -- regardless of binge eating status -- show dramatic improvements in terms of weight loss and psychosocial functioning," White said.
"For the most part, binge eating remitted following surgery," White added. "However, those patients who reported preoperative binge eating did report slightly elevated eating-related disturbances following surgery. This underscores the need for continued follow-up care and the need to identify disturbed eating behaviors and/or psychosocial difficulties that may relate to longer-term outcomes."
The team stresses the results are limited to the first year after surgery. "We have planned follow-up studies to occur at later intervals to determine whether these findings persist," White said. "In particular, we are interested in the influence of binge eating in the context of the weight loss plateau and re-gain that occurs in the 2-10 year interval."
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