At first glance, occasional overindulgence and binge eating may look similar. After all, both involve eating a lot of food in a very short time. And both of those may look very similar to binge eating disorder (BED). But the truth is, all three are quite different. Allow us to explain.
The causes of BED are more like risk factors for the condition. Why? Because researchers haven’t nailed down exactly what causes any eating disorder, according to the U.S. Office on Women’s Health.
However, researchers have identified certain things that raise people’s risk for developing BED. These vary from person to person. How any individual experiences BED is determined by a cocktail of genes, emotions, and experiences. But there are common threads.
Below are six common risk factors for BED, according to experts and the latest research. Plus, promising new studies that point to semaglutide as a potential treatment.
If binge eating is a concern, semaglutide can help.
Binge eating disorder sign #1: Unregulated emotions
Put simply, consistent binge eating usually happens in response to difficult emotions.
“Eating disorders are emotional disorders, and binge eating can function as a strategy to temporarily escape, change, or dampen a distressing emotional experience,” explains Samantha DeCaro, Psy.D, a licensed clinical psychologist.
Translation: Binge eating is a coping mechanism for some people. “Shame, guilt, sadness, and anxiety are commonly reported as emotional triggers to binge eating episodes,” Dr. DeCaro adds.
People with BED may also engage in binges to regulate other difficult emotions like anger, boredom, or stress, studies suggest. Unfortunately, the binges don’t generally work to process the emotions in a productive way, research shows. And more often, they suppress or numb those emotions and offer only temporary relief.
Binge eating disorder sign #2: Chronic dieting and negative body image
Bodies are constantly up against real-world stigma and scrutiny—at work, in relationships, on airplanes. This can increase negative self-image over time, making it more likely for BED to take hold, Dr. DeCaro explains.
It also makes anyone who experiences body discrimination more vulnerable to crash dieting, which feeds the vicious BED cycle of restricting, binging, and repeating.
“Dieting and other irregular eating patterns, such as delayed eating or skipping meals, may also contribute to binge eating urges,” Dr. DeCaro adds.
In a study conducted on young girls, both dietary restraint and body dissatisfaction predicted that binge eating would occur in adolescence. There’s also well-established thought that, in general, food restriction greatly heightens the risk for binge eating.
Binge eating disorder sign #3: Anxiety, depression, or other mental illness
Mental illness is common in people with eating disorders. And that’s certainly the case in those with BED.
One study found that approximately 79% of people with a history of BED have at least one lifetime psychiatric comorbidity. And close to 49% experience more than three comorbid conditions. According to the National Library of Medicine, the most common mental health conditions related to BED are:
- Anxiety disorder (56%), with phobia the most common
- Mood disorder (46%), with major depressive disorder the most common
- Disruptive behavior disorder (25%), with intermittent explosive disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder the most common
- Substance use disorder (close to 24%), with alcohol use disorder the most common
Another study found that 65% of people with BED reported having a lifetime anxiety disorder, and a more recent one found that childhood anxiety could be predictive of eating disorders in early adolescence. Depression and anxiety can also be symptoms of BED.
Binge eating disorder sign #4: Brain chemical changes, genetics, and family influence
Mounting research suggests that genetics and brain chemistry play a significant role in one’s predisposition to BED.
That may be one reason why people with BED experience altered decision-making around food choice, self-control, and emotional regulation, as well as dysregulated brain reward circuits.
Family weight and eating problems, parenting or family conflict, and childhood obesity may also contribute to BED, according to the National Library of Medicine. BED is more common in women, often beginning in late adolescence or early adulthood.
Binge eating disorder sign #5: Ethnicity and socioeconomic status
Research shows that BED is prevalent among minority racial and ethnic groups, as well as people with lower levels of education.
“Physical and psychological scarcity can trigger the urge to consume large amounts of food,” explains Dr. DeCaro. “Those who don’t have reliable access to a sufficient quantity of food may also be at heightened risk of binge eating episodes and other forms of disordered eating.”
Binge eating disorder sign #6: Body size
Although they are not mutually exclusive, research has linked BED with obesity.
In a large U.S. population-based study, 42% of subjects with a lifetime diagnosis of BED were obese at the time. In addition, they displayed a significantly higher prevalence of morbid obesity compared to respondents with no eating disorder.
With that, explains Dr. DeCaro, other health risks can come, including like diabetes, high cholesterol, digestive issues, and gallbladder disease.
New research on semaglutide and binge eating
The FDA has approved one medication to treat BED: lisdexamfetamine, an ADHD med that tamps down appetite but is possibly addictive with a potential for abuse.
Now, recent small studies have found that the weight loss med semaglutide may be an exciting treatment option. In a study of 48 patients, researchers found that the participants who took semaglutide (a GLP-1 agonist) reported less severe symptoms of BED than participants on other meds, as measured by a survey that researchers use to gauge in BED research.
More research is needed, but it’s promising that semaglutide—when combined with targeted therapy—has become a ray of hope for those suffering from a tough, debilitating disorder.
If you worry about binge eating and think semaglutide might be right for you, talk to your doctor or chat with a ReflexMD Wellness Advisor now.
RELATED: Can Semaglutide Stop Binge Eating?
