Why is binge-eating disorder such an easy trap to fall into? An argument could be made that this is how humans were naturally trained to eat, far back in antiquity. When hunter-gatherers roamed the earth, there was no other choice. If a large animal could be brought down, sliced up, and cooked, everybody had to gobble up as much of it as possible, right there on the spot.
There were no refrigerators, and even people who never went to college can figure out that after a while, meat goes bad and makes them sick. Gathering, or reaping fruit, vegetables, and grains worked the same way. When some fruit was in season and people found a tree full of it, what else could they do but grab as much of the bounty as possible and keep their systems stoked with it until the next lucky find appeared? When food presented itself, hungry people ate while the eating was good.
It probably should not be surprising that many humans feel the ancestral urge to fill up whenever we can. Some of us are still in the situation of being forced to eat whatever is available, because of uncertainty over when another chance will occur. But millions upon millions of us are not in dire circumstances, and do not have to gorge just in case there is nothing to eat tomorrow. So let’s look at why this habit is so destructive.
Registered dietician Elyse Resch lists seven excellent reasons why anyone embroiled in a binge-eating pattern would do well to get a clue and make the effort to stop the habit. A very valid reason is that it interferes with sleep. First, it might take longer to fall asleep, but then you might wake up feeling thirst, or the jabs of acid reflux, or the simple local discomfort of a distended belly.
The second reason is very important because a condition is created in which we cannot trust the signals sent by our own bodies via the appetite hormone ghrelin or the fullness hormone leptin.
Studies show people who frequently binge-eat have lower levels of ghrelin and have difficulty responding to hormones in general. Binge-eating on a regular basis makes it harder for your body to figure out if you’re still hungry, or satiated.
The third reason is that the postprandial surges of glucose and insulin can interfere with the body’s immune system and make us more vulnerable to colds and other infectious conditions.
Next, the American Psychological Association has determined that, as with alcohol and some drugs, a food overdose can put the brain into a state of oblivion that allows the eater to escape self-awareness. Needless to say, this happens at a time when the brain most needs to be asking, “Hey, what the heck am I doing?”
The binge eater’s goal is to induce a state of peaceful relaxed bliss, but the body knows enough to reach for homeostasis, or balance. It attempts this by producing stress hormones, which in turn speed up the heart rate and produce anxious sweat, along with unpleasant irritability, and lethargy — an emotion qualitatively different from peaceful relaxation.
After consumption of a bunch of simple carbohydrates and sugar, the pancreas leaps into red alert mode trying to compensate by producing enough insulin to cope. This is a further deterrent to the body’s preferred state of homeostasis.
A reasonably balanced meal induces the brain to release dopamine, which is fine, but after overeating becomes habitual, the brain struggles to catch up and needs more and more fat and sugar input to pump out the dopamine reward. Gradually but inevitably, overeating becomes over-overeating and over-over-overeating.
Bonus list
Also from BestHealthMag.ca, here are the warning signals that a person is consuming too much sugar. Does anything strike a familiar note?
1. An acne breakout
2. A mid-day energy slump or headache
3. Dental cavities
4. High blood pressure
5. High cholesterol
6. A post-exercise energy crash from using simple sugars for fuel
7. Clothes that used to fit are too tight
8. Depression caused by systemic inflammation
9. The body doesn’t get the message that food has been taken on board, and doesn’t “feel full.”
Your responses and feedback are welcome!
Source: “7 Reasons to Stop Binge-Eating,” BestHealthMag.ca, 07/16/19
Source: “9 Clear Signs You’re Eating Too Much Sugar,” BestHealthMag.ca, 01/03/17
Image by The Digital Artist/Pixabay
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