Symptoms and Causes of Binge Eating Disorder

Every individual overeats at some occasions but in some people overeating is converted into an eating disorder. Millions of Americans are affected with the newly recognized eating disorder called binge eating disorder. It is a serious eating disorder in which an individual consumes large amount of foods frequently.

Binge eating disorder is quite different from bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa sufferers purge afterward by vomiting, but people with binge eating disorder do not purge. If you want to find whether you have this disorder or not then you may find it by observing the following signs and symptoms of binge eating disorder.

An individual who is suffering from binge eating disorder will eat large amounts of food rapidly and will eat even when he is not hungry. Such people eat normally when they are with other people but when they are alone they eat voraciously. They do not have any planned time for meal; they keep on eating through out the day.

Such people are never satisfied even though they eat large quantity of food. They may feel embarrassed at eating such large amount in front of other people and may hide food to eat later when they are alone.

Sufferers of binge eating disorder keep eating until they feel uncomfortable physically because of consumption of large amount of food. They may experience shortness of breath, depression, excessive sweating, and mood swings. After binge eating such people may feel guilty, depressed, and anxious. They may gain weight rapidly and may suffer from insomnia. You may find that these people are desperate to control their eating habit as well as their increasing weight.

The exact cause of binge eating disorder is yet unknown. But research shows that it usually runs in family i.e. it may be hereditary. It has been seen that about half of the binge eating disorder sufferers have a history of depression. The binge eater has low serotonin level which trigger depression. Regulation of appetite and signs of hunger in the body are regulated by serotonin. There are several other factors which cause binge eating disorder.

Alteration of brain chemicals may be one cause for binge eating disorder. Another cause may be dieting and poor nutrition. The way your body burns calorie i.e. metabolism also causes this disorder. About fifty percent of the binge eaters have psychological causes for their binge eating disorder.