Binge eating, or compulsive eating, is an eating disorder that can be cured. Most people over eat every once in a while, during the holidays, or just mindlessly eating donuts. But compulsive eaters over eat all the time.
Binge eaters over eat all the time, and they use it as a way to cope with stress. They over eat when they are stressed, when they need to calm their nerves, to cope with anxiety, or to reward themselves for something they did. Someone who has any of these symptoms might be a binge eater. After a while, many people who do this get addicted to food, and become binge eaters.
The cause for binge eating is still unclear. Half of all people who binge eat have a history of depression. It is still unknown whether these two things are related. Many people who binge eat have also reported that boredom, anxiety, anger or sadness have triggered eating episodes. Being impulsive and psychological problems may be what causes binge eating for many people.
Compulsive eating can also have consequences for your health. These diseases include high cholesterol, heart disease, gallbladder disease and certain types of cancer.
Binge eating is a real problem, but can be cured. There are many things you can do to help yourself or people you know with this disease. One of the most helpful things is signing them up for Overeaters Anonymous. |
 This is an example of binge eating, stuffing many cupcakes into someone's mouth.
Takeru Kobayashi is the winner of the hot dog eating contest, as an example of binge eating.
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