Binge Eating Disorder Linked to Various Illnesses

20 Sep 2016 --- Binge-eating disorder (BED) has been linked with a broad range of other illnesses in a recent study, with strongest associations related to the endocrine and circulatory systems.

Individuals with binge-eating disorder had a 2.5-times increased risk of also having an endocrine disorder and a 1.9-times increased risk of having a circulatory system disorder.

Among individuals suffering from BED, those who were also obese had a 1.5-times increased risk of having a respiratory disease and a 2.6-times increased risk of having a gastrointestinal disease than those who were not obese.

The new findings may help improve detection of BED and improve the health of affected individuals, and the researchers are encouraging medical professionals to discuss BED with their patients.

"We encourage clinicians to 'have the conversation' about BED with their patients. Accurate screening and detection can bring BED out of the shadows and get people the treatment they deserve," said Dr. Cynthia Bulik, senior author of the International Journal of Eating Disorders study.

Bulik also reiterated that BED is an illness that can affect people of all body forms, not only those who are obese or overweight.

“BED afflicts people of all shapes and sizes. The somatic illnesses that we detected were not simply effects of being overweight or obese," said Bulik.