HEALTH BEAT 5-1-2001

Meetings & Conventions: Short Cuts May 2001 Current Issue
May 2001
Short Cuts:
HEALTH BEAT

There’s nothing wrong with pigging out now and then, but for about 2 percent of adults in the United States, it’s more than a harmless indulgence. As many as 4 million Americans have binge-eating disorder, according to the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases (www.niddk.nih.gov).

Binge eaters often feel their eating is out of control, eat unusually large amounts of food, eat very quickly, eat alone and feel depressed or guilty after overeating. Those with bulimia nervosa not only binge but purge (by vomiting or using diuretics or laxatives), fast (stop eating for at least 24 hours) or do strenuous exercise to keep from gaining weight.

Most sufferers are ashamed of the problem and attempt to hide it from family and friends. However, efforts to control it on their own often are unsuccessful. Health professionals treat the disorder in several ways, including behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and, in some cases, antidepressants.

LOREN G. EDELSTEIN