Overeating occurs when an
individual 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
Bulimia nervosa, also known as simply bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating followed by purging or fasting, and excessive concern with body shape and weight. The aim of this activity is to expel the body of calories eaten ...
.
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, 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 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
*
Compulsive overeating
*
Counterregulatory eating
*
Behavioral addiction
*
Binge eating
*
Binge eating disorder
*
Food drunk
*
Gluttony
*
Inflammation#Systemic inflammation and overeating
*''
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think'' (book)
*
Polyphagia
*
Fasting
Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...
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