Binge eating and obesity

Abstract

Despite there being several pathways leading to obesity [1], there is evidence that binge eating may be an important contributor to its development [2]. Excessive food consumption without compensation increases the risk for the development of obesity, which in turn is associated with numerous complications [3]. Obesity has been found to develop several years after the onset of binge eating, and individuals who were overweight prior to the onset of binge eating tend to gain even more weight during adulthood [4]. Binge eating is defined as eating a larger amount of food than normal during a short period of time (within any 2‐hour period) and, during this time, experiencing a loss of control over eating.