Compulsive Overeating News and Research

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Researchers find behavioral, biological similarities between compulsive overeating and addiction

Does yo-yo dieting drive compulsive eating? There may be a connection. According to Boston University School of Medicine researchers the chronic cyclic pattern of overeating followed by undereating, reduces the brain's ability to feel reward and may drive compulsive eating.

17 Oct 2019

New program to help people struggling with food addiction

Food Addiction is a prominent issue in society with over 10% of the general population deeply addicted to food or overeating.

6 Jun 2018

New study establishes link between prenatal stress and onset of eating disorders

Stress affects the body and can trigger illness -- from psychiatric disorders to heart disease. Humans are exposed to stress at different intensities throughout life -- as children, in adolescence, and in old age. But when is the impact of stress on our systems most powerful? Many researchers maintain that the critical effect occurs prenatally, inside the womb.

1 Jun 2017

Experimental drug improves survival, growth outcomes in mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome

Drugs capable of activating silenced genes improve survival and growth outcomes in a mouse model of Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare and incurable childhood disease, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.

27 Dec 2016

Researchers identify genetic risk factor for binge eating

Researchers have identified a gene (CYFIP2) associated with binge eating. This finding represents one of the first examples of a genome-wide significant genetic factor to be identified for binge eating in model organisms or humans.

26 Oct 2016

New therapeutic interventions could render addiction into manageable disease

Neuroscientists agree that abuse of drugs hijacks circuits in the brain that are crucial for decision-making, but society as a whole tends to stigmatize addicted people for lacking self-control.

10 Jun 2014

Emily Program plans to open new office in Olympia

The Emily Program - a nationally recognized eating disorder treatment center- today announced plans to open a new office in Olympia, WA, its 3rd location in the Seattle area, 4th location in the Pacific Northwest.

6 Jun 2014

Neurosurgeons remove hypothalamic hamartoma to combat hyperphagia, unhealthy weight gain

Neurosurgeons at the University of Texas-Houston and Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital (Houston, Texas) report on the success they achieved when they removed a hypothalamic hamartoma from a 10-year-old girl to combat hyperphagia (excessive appetite and compulsive overeating) and consequent unhealthy weight gain.

10 Apr 2013

Deep brain stimulation reduces binge eating

Deep brain stimulation reduces binge eating in mice, suggesting that this surgery, which is approved for treatment of certain neurologic and psychiatric disorders, may also be an effective therapy for obesity. Presentation of the results will take place Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Exendin-4 drug effectively suppresses craving for food

A drug made from the saliva of the Gila monster lizard is effective in reducing the craving for food. Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have tested the drug on rats, who after treatment ceased their cravings for both food and chocolate.

16 May 2012

Brain's reward/motivation circuits linked to compulsive overeating

A brain imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory reveals a subtle difference between ordinary obese subjects and those who compulsively overeat, or binge: In binge eaters but not ordinary obese subjects, the mere sight or smell of favorite foods triggers a spike in dopamine - a brain chemical linked to reward and motivation.

1 Mar 2011

WaterBrook Press releases third edition of Hope, Help and Healing for Eating Disorders

WaterBrook Press recently released the third edition of Hope, Help and Healing for Eating Disorders, A Whole-Person Approach to Treatment of Anorexia, Bulimia and Disorder Eating. The newest edition of this 1995 bestseller on overcoming anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders from Dr. Gregory L. Jantz, PhD, with Ann McMurray, features the most up-to-date information on body image, food addiction, nutrition and more.

15 Nov 2010

Dangerous weight gain may be caused by compulsive overeating and ideal holidays

Dealing with extended family, increased commitments and even celebratory occasions can cause a compulsive overeater to gain too much weight during the holiday season.

3 Nov 2010

Majority of older women seek help for eating disorders

Eating disorders are equal-opportunity offenders – crossing economic and cultural boundaries and leaping the borders of age and gender. For a long time thought to be diseases affecting teens and young women in their 20s, eating disorder treatment centers nationwide are seeing an increase in the population of older women seeking help for eating disorders.

25 Jun 2010

Healthy relationship with food will lead to a better, more promising future for children

The first lady has kicked off a national campaign that charges young Americans to "get up and move," changing the life goals of the newest generation. While the campaign and message are a strong effort, a national epidemic can only be changed with a personal choice to live better. It all starts with one parent, one effort, to take the time to live healthier, to want your children to live healthier. It's more than the number on a scale; it's a way of life.

28 May 2010

Childhood sexual or emotional abuse associated with greater body dissatisfaction in BED: JGH

Imagine stuffing yourself with a day's worth of food in two hours or less. Imagine feeling disgusted, depressed and guilty once you finally stop. Then imagine doing it again, repeatedly and uncontrollably, once a week or more for months on end.

13 May 2010

Addiction to high calorie fat rich food: likened to cocaine and heroin addiction

In a new research our worst fears are confirmed – fatty, fried and fattening foods are addictive. The addiction with these delicious ‘yummies’ may be as potent as that with cocaine or heroin. The study was conducted on experimental animals, rats in this case. When fed with fatty foods in great quantities these rats showed a compulsive need to eat.

29 Mar 2010

Study provides new clues to obesity epidemic

In a newly published study, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have shown for the first time that the same molecular mechanisms that drive people into drug addiction are behind the compulsion to overeat, pushing people into obesity.

29 Mar 2010

Feelings of guilt and shame haunt mothers with eating difficulties

They would love to be perfect mothers. Instead, they feel ashamed and inadequate, and fearful that their children might inherit their eating difficulties.

18 Mar 2010

Chronic overeating plays fundamental role in obesity epidemic

The causes of obesity are complex and individual, but it is clear that chronic overeating plays a fundamental role. But when this behaviour becomes compulsive and out of control, it is often classified as "food addiction" - a label that has generated considerable controversy, according to a McMaster University psychiatrist and obesity researcher.

23 Dec 2009