Not only is anorexia and taking part in restrictive dieting important, there is another problem that many do not even pay attention to but could be just as dangerous. The irony of it is that people don’t think twice when they use phrases such as “eating feelings”, but guess what? Binging can cause a number of issues to your body. Oh sure, everyone can indulge in a few rounds of eating and being careless with the portions at least once in a while. It is rather simple to have a couple of snacks when on vacation or eat a birthday cake to the brim when you are celebrating, but when sessions where you binge take place more often than not, you are vulnerable to developing a disorder. Julie Friedman, Ph.D., the Executive Director of Binge Eating Treatment and Recovery at Eating Recover Center notes that binge will occur “at least once a week for three months.” Binge eating is a severe form of eating disorder that has accumulated effects of physical as well as psychological nature in the short term and in the long run. Here is what happens to the body when one becomes involved in binge eating.
You want to feel such or have such high levels of dopamine.
It’s no secret: eating makes you feel great. Not just because, it is delicious or quenches your angry hunger. Some of those sociology theories are backed by hard science, as well. As a Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Dafna Chazin pointed out, your body produces a chemical which is dopamine when you are eating. In simple terms, dopamine is a ‘pleasure’ neurotransmitter that plays a part in so many activities within your system.Denise Wilfley, a professor in Scott Rudolph University at Washington University in St. Louis and a representative of the National Eating Disorders Association said according to Reader’s Digest that while dopamine is released after every meal, foods high in simple sugars and fats make that hormone burst, which gives you the excuse to pig out on potato chips or a cake instead of a rabbit food like a salad.(or a lot) more than you probably should, but when binge eating sessions become more frequent, you’re at risk of developing a disorder.
According to Executive Director of Binge Eating Treatment and Recovery at Eating Recover Center Julie Friedman, Ph.D., those with binge eating disorder will binge “at least once a week for three months.” Binge eating is a serious disorder that comes with both short- and long-term physical and mental consequences. Here’s what happens to your body when you binge eat.
You experience high levels of dopamine
It’s no secret: eating makes you feel great. Not just because it tastes good or fills up your hangry stomach. There’s actual science involved, too. As Registered Dietitian-Nutritionist Dafna Chazin explained, your body releases a chemical called dopamine when you eat. Put simply, dopamine is a “feel good” chemical involved in a ton of processes in your body.
While every meal triggers the release of dopamine, Denise Wilfley, a Scott Rudolph University professor at Washington University in St. Louis and National Eating Disorders Association representative, told Reader’s Digest that it’s the sugary, fatty foods we eat that release the highest levels of the chemical, which explains why you’re more likely to binge on potato chips or cake rather than a healthy salad.
It then turns into a psychological one.
Sometimes low levels of dopamine sound non desirable but believe you me, only dogs and bonus hunters like high dopamine conditions. ‘The baseline required to achieve the same state of ‘high’ is high thus the binge has to be intense (generally involving more food and consumed in less time ),’ observed Chazin. In essence, where you could earlier just eat one cookie and get that dopamine hit, later on, you will need two cookies, then five. And, as with any other toxin, binge eating has a definite ‘hangover’, manifesting in the shape of an actual physical weakness so typically associated with a sugar high that in extreme cases ‘binge eaters’ can actually ‘sweat and shake.’ according to Chazin.
Binge eating is very similar to binging in other areas of life for instance on drugs or alcohol. It produces a chemical reaction in the brain that keeps the behavior going,” declared Monte Drenner, a licensed counselor, and master certified addictions professional, life coach, and consultant. Drenner responds that each addiction has effects accruing over time which result in a short-lived intoxication period and significant overall sensation of suffering.
It becomes possible for you to have some form of an immediate physical reaction
I think everyone has heard about the primary mirror physical sign of binge eating – the feeling of uncomfortable fullness that makes you wonder if you’ll even be able to eat again.Because as you sit there drowsy and drooling away into a food coma, which is a real thing, not a myth as TeenVogue spoke to internist and cardiologist Dr. Jennifer Haythe , your body is doing its best to even out the equation you just presented to it.more intense (more food usually in less time) to feel the same effect,” said Chazin. Basically, where you used to be able to eat one cookie to get that dopamine rush, eventually you’ll need two and then five and so on. And like any addiction, binge eating comes with a real physical “sugar crash” that leaves you feeling tired and weak, sometimes even causing “sweating and shakiness,” Chazin said.
“Binge eating is much like bingeing on other things like drugs or alcohol. It produces a chemical reaction in the brain that keeps the behavior going,” said Monte Drenner, a licensed counselor, master certified addictions professional, life coach, and consultant. Drenner explained that, as with any addiction, long-term binge eating leads to a shorter “high” coupled with intense “emotional pain.”
You experience immediate physical symptoms
We’re all aware of the most obvious physical symptom of binge eating, which is the overwhelming and uncomfortable fullness that makes you question whether you’ll ever be able to eat again. While you slip into a food coma (which Dr. Jennifer Haythe, an internist and cardiologist based in New York, explained to Teen Vogue is a very real thing), your body is hard at work trying to balance out everything you just consumed.
“As soon as you overwhelm the system with calories, sugar and fat you have hormone spikes and dips, change in energy, sugar is put away in the fat cells, I are sure you put a little stress and inflammation on top of it.”Abby Langer, registered dietitian and nutrition counselor in Toronto said to Shape.s fluctuate, energy levels change, sugar is stored in fat cells, and you’ve probably added some stress and inflammation to the mix.” Abby Langer, registered dietitian and nutrition counselor in Toronto told Shape. And in an effort to ensure it meets its goals of getting things done it tends to prioritize metabolism of the rich calorie diet. ”Thus, people experience feelings of tiredness and fatigue,” Haythe explained to Teen Vogue.
It quite literally makes you vulnerable to developing a dangerous yo-yo pattern of overeating and starving yourself.
The high and crash of binge eating encourages a pattern of binge eating and dieting that will kill your body in the long haul — and the cycle begins a whole lot sooner than you might expect. “In roughly three weeks of binge eating on processed foods especially those with added sugars and fats, the body cues of hunger and fullness are lost while the dopamine system will be suppressed,” said Tara Javidan another therapist who is located at the Clarity Clinic in Chicago. It’s not the body alone that gets cycling, but the mind as well.
‘Clients start in self-induced guilt and shame about the episodes of eating and then try to get back on track through dieting and binging in attempts to self soothe,’ said Javidan.The Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor Julianne Schroeder said, “Intense self-loathing and feelings of helplessness one feels after such binging directly support the cycling in binge eating.”ian and nutrition counselor in Toronto told Shape. In order to get things done efficiently, your body focuses most of its energy on digesting the high-calorie meal. “As a result, people often feel fatigue and low energy,” Haythe told Teen Vogue.
You become susceptible to a dangerous cycle of binge eating and dieting
The high and crash of binge eating makes you vulnerable to a trend of binge eating and dieting that can destroy your body in the long run — and the cycle starts a lot quicker than you’d think. “Within about three weeks of binge eating highly processed, sugary, high fat foods, hunger and fullness cues are thrown off and dopamine becomes down regulated,” explained Tara Javidan, a licensed therapist at Clarity Clinic based in Chicago. The cycle is just as mental as it is physical.
“Clients generally start in a spiral of guilt and shame associated with the eating episodes and will attempt to use dieting to ‘get back on track,'” said Javidan, which ultimately leads to more binge eating as you attempt to make yourself feel better. According to Licensed Professional Counselor and National Certified Counselor Julianne Schroeder, “The intense self-loathing and feelings of helplessness someone experiences after [binge eating] can contribute to perpetuating the binge cycle.”
Your stomach stretches
Apart from what binge eating does to your brain, there are also impacts on the other body parts. Not surprisingly, among the body organs you bring most under pressure, your stomach is arguably the most affected by binge eating.Registered Dietitian Lisa Eberly also mentioned on PopSugar that, the stomach stretches as it holds the food before contracting back to its initial size while digesting.rgans that binge eating takes a toll on. As Registered Dietitian Lisa Eberly explained to PopSugar, the stomach is elastic and meant to stretch to hold the food you eat before decompressing back to its natural size as you digest.
“But when you over indulge especially somewhat regularly your stomach can stretch irreversibly” she said. As with any exercise, the more the stomach expands, the more food is required to feed this area of the body and so the obesity process is initiated.
You are no longer able to recognize when you’ve eaten enough
Besides, you will have to take something more to be full, binge eating alters a vital hormone in your body called leptin.In an interview with PopSugar, Eberly pointed out that leptin acts as the friend who signals to your body that it’s not hungry or literally telling you to ‘Put the fork down’.our stomach is one of the major organs that binge eating takes a toll on. As Registered Dietitian Lisa Eberly explained to PopSugar, the stomach is elastic and meant to stretch to hold the food you eat before decompressing back to its natural size as you digest.
“However, when you overeat, particularly somewhat regularly, your stomach can stretch permanently,” she said. The bigger your stomach gets, the more food you need to fill it up — and so the cycle begins.
You lose the ability to tell when you’re full
Not only will you need to eat more to feel satisfied, binge eating changes an important hormone in your body called leptin. Eberly explained to PopSugar that leptin signals to your body when you’re full, kind of like the friend in charge of telling you, “Bro, put the fork down.” But when you binge eat, you take in food too quickly and the whole body does not receive the correct amount of time to alert you that it has had enough leptin.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism published a study in 1999 and according to the research, this disrupts your system in the long run.. Seven healthy women were followed and had their leptin levels measured on two occasions. In the first round, the women consumed three regular meals thrice during three consecutive days. For the second round, the same women consumed one evening meal of the same calories as all three normal sized meals. The calories distribution also matter, and the study showed that “ingestion of an entire day’s calories produced a significant increase even in fasting glucose levels and also a dramatic increase in insulin response to the evening intake of the calories,” which we learned can cause several side such as fatigue.
It’s bad for your bodily rhythm and interrupts your sleep cycle
The damages which the binge eating does to the body are not limited to only physiological. Some of the outcomes that you may only consider as resulting from eating habits include a difficulty in sleeping.Binge eating disrupts circadian rhythms, something Eberly also told PopSugar.t this disrupts your system in the long run. Researchers tracked leptin levels of seven healthy women on two separate occasions. In the first round, the women ate three normal-sized meals for three days. For the second round, the same women ate one evening meal consisting of the same amount of calories as all three of the normal sized meals combined. Despite eating the same number of calories overall, the study found that “ingestion of an entire day’s calories at dinner resulted in a significant increase in fasting glucose levels and a dramatic increase in insulin responses to the evening meal,” which we learned can lead to negative side effects such as fatigue.
You disrupt your circadian rhythm
The effects of binge eating on the body aren’t just physical. There are some effects that you might not even realize are related to your eating habits, such as a difficulty sleeping. Eberly explained to PopSugar that binge eating messes with your internal clock.
If you tend to overeat, it can disrupt your body’s hunger signals and make you crave even more food. You might find yourself waking up hungry during the night or feeling hungrier than usual the next morning, which can lead to eating even more. Sometimes, it’s not just hunger keeping you awake; it can also be the discomfort from overeating. According to Wilfley, symptoms like acid reflux and increased thirst after a binge can interfere with your ability to fall asleep.
Heartburn Issues
Heartburn is an unpleasant sensation that many experience, especially after indulging in spicy meals or heavy foods. It’s also a common side effect of binge eating. Eberly notes that the stomach produces hydrochloric acid to help digest food, and eating in excess forces the stomach to produce even more acid. This excess acid can irritate the stomach lining and eventually reach the esophagus, causing discomfort.
Continually binge eating can have long-term consequences on your health. As Chazin points out, the heartburn triggered by such eating habits can lead to erosion of esophageal cells and, in severe cases, increase the risk of cancer.
Digestive Troubles
We’ve all experienced that uncomfortable sensation of being overly full, which can even lead to nausea at times. These symptoms can be warning signs of more serious digestive problems. Chazin explains that consuming large amounts of food can cause distention, reflux, cramping, and even diarrhea—which is certainly not enjoyable.
Additionally, binge eating can lead to dehydration, especially when high-sugar foods are involved. Chazin mentions that excessive sugar intake can result in Dumping Syndrome, where a sudden influx of sugar in the gut draws in more water to help with digestion. This can lead to loose stools that contain a lot of water, and often, this fluid loss isn’t properly replenished, resulting in dehydration.
Weight Gain and Health Risks
Frequent binge eating can contribute to weight gain and increase the likelihood of various health issues. Taking care of your eating habits is crucial for maintaining both physical and mental well-being.
When you eat more calories than you burn, you gain weight. So it’s no surprise that binge eating can make you gain weight. Carrying extra weight can lead to more health issues too. Javidan mentioned some of these problems include diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, which can increase the chance of heart disease or stroke. Friedman added that gaining weight can also lead to more joint and muscle pain.
You might feel sad
Everyone binge eats sometimes, but binge eating disorder is a serious mental health problem. It was recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013. People with this disorder often feel sad or anxious both before and after they binge eat.
Schroeder said that binge eating usually happens because someone has emotional problems, like anxiety or depression, and they use binge eating to feel better for a short time. The happiness from binge eating doesn’t last, and once it’s gone, feelings of sadness can return. This can get worse if weight gain happens.
Javidan explained that gaining weight can make people feel ashamed, which might lead to a bad body image. If someone has low self-esteem about their body, binge eating can make it worse. This shame can lead to serious sadness and anxiety.