Binge Eating Disorder
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Definition & Facts
Binge eating is when you eat a large amount of food in a short amount of time and feel you can’t control what or how much you are eating. If you binge eat regularly—at least once a week for 3 months—and feel you cannot control your eating, you may have binge eating disorder.
Symptoms & Causes
If you have binge eating disorder, you may eat a large amount of food in a short amount of time and feel you can’t control what or how much you are eating. No one knows for sure what causes binge eating disorder. Like other eating disorders, binge eating disorder may result from a mix of factors related to your genes, your thoughts and feelings—particularly about your eating habits or weight—and social issues.
Diagnosis & Treatment
A mental health professional can talk with you about psychological symptoms and eating patterns to find out if you have binge eating disorder. Treatment for binge eating disorder includes talk therapy, behavioral weight loss treatment, and medicine. A nutritional counselor trained in disordered eating can help you adopt healthier eating patterns.
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Related Conditions & Diseases
Your Digestive System & How It Works
The digestive system is made up of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract—also called the digestive tract—and the liver, pancreas, and the gallbladder. The GI tract is a series of hollow organs joined in a long, twisting tube from the mouth to the anus.
Overweight & Obesity Statistics
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This content is provided as a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. The NIDDK translates and disseminates research findings to increase knowledge and understanding about health and disease among patients, health professionals, and the public. Content produced by the NIDDK is carefully reviewed by NIDDK scientists and other experts.
The NIDDK would like to thank:
Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, Ph.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and Thomas A. Wadden, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine