Overeating occurs when an
individual
An individual is that which exists as a distinct entity. Individuality (or self-hood) is the state or quality of being an individual; particularly (in the case of humans) of being a person unique from other people and possessing one's own Maslow ...
consumes more calories in relation to the energy that is expended via physical activity or expelled via
excretion, leading to weight gain and often
obesity. Overeating is the defining characteristic of
binge eating disorder.
This term may also be used to refer to specific episodes of over-consumption. For example, many people overeat during festivals or while on holiday.
Overeating can be a symptom of
binge eating disorder or
bulimia nervosa.
Compulsive overeaters depend on food to comfort themselves when they are stressed, suffering bouts of depression, and have feelings of helplessness.
In a broader sense,
hyperalimentation
Overnutrition (also known as hyperalimentation) is a form of malnutrition in which the intake of nutrients is oversupplied. The amount of nutrients exceeds the amount required for normal growth, development, and metabolism.
The term can also ref ...
includes excessive food administration through other means than eating, e.g. through
parenteral nutrition.
Treatment
Cognitive behavioural therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention that aims to reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions, primarily depression and anxiety disorders. CBT focuses on challenging and changing cognitive distortions (su ...
, individual therapy, and group therapy are often beneficial in helping people keep track of their eating habits and changing the way they cope with difficult situations. Often overeating and the related binge eating are related to dieting, body image issues, as well as social pressures.
There are several
12-step programs
Twelve-step programs are international mutual aid programs supporting recovery from substance addictions, behavioral addictions and compulsions. Developed in the 1930s, the first twelve-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), aided its members ...
that helps overeaters, such as
Overeaters Anonymous Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a twelve-step program founded in 1960 for people with problems related to food including, but not limited to, compulsive overeaters, those with binge eating disorder, bulimics and anorexics. Anyone with a problematic ...
or
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous and others.
It is quite clear through research, and various studies that overeating causes addictive behaviors.
In some instances, overeating has been linked to the use of medications known as
dopamine agonists, such as
pramipexole.
See also
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Compulsive overeating
A food or eating addiction is any behavioral addiction that is primarily characterized by the compulsive consumption of palatable (e.g., high fat and high sugar) food items which markedly activate the reward system in humans and other animal ...
*
Counterregulatory eating Counterregulatory eating is the psychological tendency for a person to eat more after having recently eaten. It is a behavior opposite to regulatory eating, which is the normal pattern of eating less if one has already eaten. It is more common amo ...
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Behavioral addiction
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Binge eating
Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is a common symptom of eating disorders such as binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an exc ...
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Binge eating disorder
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Food drunk
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Gluttony
Gluttony ( la, gula, derived from the Latin ''gluttire'' meaning "to gulp down or swallow") means over-indulgence and over-consumption of food, drink, or wealth items, particularly as status symbols.
In Christianity, it is considered a sin if ...
*
Inflammation#Systemic inflammation and overeating
*''
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think'' (book)
*
Polyphagia
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Fasting
References
* Kessler, David A. The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite (2009)
External links
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{{Nutritional pathology
Eating behaviors
Habits
Hyperalimentation