Eating Disorders
Binge Eating
By Lori Henry
Feb 17, 2008

Compulsive Overeating is now seen as an addiction, not a lack of willpower.

Binging has become a common behavior in our modern world. We’ve all done it or know someone who has. It’s that uncontrollable craving to eat, not only one cookie, but the whole box. It’s the unstoppable urge to eat the whole carton of ice cream instead of just a bowl.

But a new study by Université de Montreal neuroscientist, Stephanie Fulton, has brought to light the similarities between binging and drug addiction. The same hormones that regulate feeding also regulate neuron activity that is connected to drug abuse.

By studying obese mice in her research, Stephanie found that whether it’s craving food, alcohol or any other substance, the same molecular changes take place.

What this means for people “addicted to food,” is that research is being done to help understand the science of it and, hopefully, new ways of treating it. As with other addictions, binging can be treated with specific steps and procedures.

The next project is to study the front and midbrain, where dopamine activity takes place. Scientists believe that obese people have irregular dopamine levels and, by studying them specifically, the relationship between normal eating and binging can be recognized.

This article first appeared on www.Suite101.com