Almost
everyone overeats on occasion, perhaps having
seconds or thirds of a holiday meal or scarfing down
an entire bag of chips while watching a scary movie.
You feel stuffed for a few hours and then resume
your normal, healthy eating habits.
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.
Because binge-eating disorder
has only recently started attracting serious attention and there's still
uncertainty over its definition, it's unknown how many people are affected.
Most estimates say it's the most common of all eating disorders. Estimates
suggest that about 0.7 percent to 4 percent of the U.S. population has
binge-eating disorder, with girls and women slightly more likely than boys
and men to develop the condition. Both children and adults can develop
binge-eating disorder.
Find out what constitutes
binge-eating disorder, what treatments are available and how binge eating
differs from other eating disorders.
