Causes of overeating and effects on the body

According to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision ICD-10, overeating is classified under the category of mental and behavioral disorders (F00-F99):

• F50-F59 Behavioural syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors
• F50 Eating disorders (excludes: anorexia nervosa NEC, feeding and feeding difficulties, feeding disorder of infancy and childhood, polyphagia).

Binge eating syndrome is a food addiction or food drug addiction. The pathology arises due to many factors and reasons. An episode can last from several hours to a whole day. A person continues to eat food despite being completely full.

Such gluttony entails psychological problems. First of all, a feeling of regret and bitterness appears because of the bad habit. Such weakness of character leads to depressive and asthenic conditions. Patients who are unable to control the process of overeating need medical help.

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Cause

Excessive food intake occurs due to many different reasons, which are divided into certain groups, we will consider them:

Physiological:

• Insensitivity of the stomach to changes in the amount of food received. Due to its ability to stretch, the feeling of satiety appears only 15-25 minutes after eating.
• False feeling of hunger. This reason may indicate a deficiency of vitamins and nutrients in the body or dehydration. It is enough to drink a glass of warm water and the feeling of hunger will pass.
• Disruption of the endocrine glands. Disruptions in the hypothalamus, which is responsible for appetite and the feeling of satiety, lead to the fact that a person does not feel the brakes during food intake, consuming it non-stop.
• Food addiction – synthetic and genetically modified products, sweets with artificial sweeteners, salty and fatty foods cause addiction, which is similar to drug addiction.

Social and cultural:

• Selective attitude to products. When choosing food, many people take into account not its usefulness and nutritional value for the body, but aroma, appearance, ease of preparation and, of course, cheapness.
• Bad habits and internal attitudes – gluttony can be imposed by the family and act as a kind of tradition, for example, holiday binges. In this case, food is considered a vital value. This is observed when visiting, when a person eats his fill so as not to offend the hostess or is guided by his own greed.
• Dietary restrictions – overeating can be caused by a long-term diet or poor nutrition due to a lack of funds to buy food.
• Lifestyle – a fast pace of life and constant busyness lead to eating on the run or fasting during the day. As a result, a person eats his fill at night, causing metabolic disorders and regular overeating.

Psychological:

• Low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.
• Loneliness.
• Depressive state.
• Negative emotions – stress, anxiety and fear – can be eaten away with various tasty treats.
• Reward - in this case, gluttony occurs because a person rewards himself with food for completed tasks or good deeds.

In addition to the above reasons, there is such a problem as overeating in children. It occurs due to the wrong attitude of parents to food. Attempts to feed the child by force when he is full lead to the fact that the baby's stomach stretches. Because of this, the child's body contains more food than it needs, which entails metabolic disorders and obesity.

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Pathogenesis

The mechanism of development of eating disorders is not thoroughly studied. Many doctors and scientists believe that the pathogenesis of overeating is directly related to the following factors:

1. Genetics – some genes increase the susceptibility to metabolic disorders. That is, people who have relatives with an eating disorder may also have this problem to some extent.

Science knows of several genes, mutations in which lead to gluttony and polyphagy:

• GAD2 – this gene activates the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the brain, which binds to neuropeptides that stimulate appetite.
• Taq1A1 – is responsible for the amount of dopamine in the body. Changes in its level lead to a person making decisions more slowly and experiencing satiety from food later.
• FTO is a sneaky gene that is responsible for a tendency to be overweight and food addiction.

2. Psychological health – most often the disorder is a hypertrophied reaction to stress. The pathological condition develops in people with low self-esteem, obsessive and impulsive behavior. And also due to fears, increased anxiety, and worry.
3. Brain – eating behavior is influenced by serotonin. This is a brain chemical that regulates mood, sleep, memory, and the ability to learn new information.
4. Society – success in society is associated with slimness and physical beauty. The desire to look good leads to deviations in eating behavior. Often, pathology occurs in people with low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence.

The mechanism of its development, accompanying symptoms and correction options depend on the etiology of overeating.

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The effects of overeating on the body

Eating a large amount of food has a negative impact on your overall health. Let's take a closer look at the impact of overeating on your body:

• First of all, the gastrointestinal tract is targeted, which stretches, changes its shape and size. To a certain extent, this provokes further gluttony to fill the entire volume of the organ and get a feeling of satiety.
• Gastrointestinal disorders lead to a decrease in the tone of the intestinal walls and a slowdown in the evacuation of intestinal contents. Food is retained in the intestines, and substances that should be excreted from the body with stool begin to be absorbed into the blood. Intoxication of the body with rotting products of nutritional components negatively affects intellectual and physical activity.
• The gradual accumulation of fat deposits triggers pathological mechanisms that disrupt the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. The lungs are unable to function normally, which reduces tissue oxygen saturation and causes anemic conditions.
• The heart, compressed by fatty deposits, gets tired due to pumping an increased volume of blood. This leads to its weakening and wear. Venous congestion occurs, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increases. Elevated cholesterol levels are dangerous due to blockage of blood vessels and the development of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.
• Excessive food intake causes pancreatic disorders. Excessive loads lead to the degeneration of parenchymatous tissue into connective tissue. The risk of pancreatitis and diabetes increases. Hormonal disorders are also possible.
• Excess weight affects not only the organs, but also the spine and joints. Excess body weight leads to rapid wear of the skeleton. Obesity significantly impairs mobility and metabolic processes.

In addition to the above-mentioned disorders, eating disorders undermine the immune system. A person begins to suffer from colds and viral diseases more often, and chronic pathologies become worse.

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The Effects of Overeating on the Liver

A multifunctional organ that performs many tasks simultaneously is the liver. Abuse of food and alcohol has a negative effect on the liver and the entire body.

• Impaired secretion of bile and gastric juice causes digestive problems. The liver does not neutralize toxins, waste, fats, viruses and other harmful substances that now enter the blood. This can lead to the development of gastric ulcers and bile duct dyskinesia. It worsens the condition of the skin, hair and nails.
• Excessive amounts of triglycerides accumulate in liver cells. Due to the increased amount of fat and slagging of the organ, poisoning with toxins develops. Because of this, many organs, including the liver, cannot cope with their work.

The first signs of liver problems are difficult to notice, despite the fact that it increases in size. The organ continues to function normally, and the painful symptoms are quite non-specific. First of all, chronic fatigue and drowsiness develop, as well as a feeling of heaviness in the upper right part of the abdomen.

Excessive food consumption over a long period of time leads to the development of fatty hepatosis in 20% of cases. The disease is accompanied by the destruction of organ cells due to inflammatory processes. In terms of symptoms, this resembles the signs of flu with nagging pain under the ribs on the right side. Gradually, digestive problems lead to the fact that dying tissues begin to be replaced by connective, that is, scar tissues.

At the first signs of liver problems, you should seek medical help and undergo a series of examinations. The condition of the organ is assessed using a set of laboratory tests: total and direct bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. For treatment, hepatoprotective drugs are prescribed in combination with diet therapy and further moderate healthy nutrition.

The Effects of Overeating on the Pancreas

Excessive food consumption has a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract, including the functioning of the pancreas. This organ produces enzymes (trypsin, amylase, lipase) that break down fats, and also synthesizes the hormones insulin and glucagon.

Overeating over a long period of time leads to the following diseases:

1. Pancreatin is an inflammation of the pancreas, has several stages, and can be chronic. It is accompanied by severe pain, nausea, and vomiting.
2. Formation of concretions – stones appear due to metabolic disorders. The pathology occurs with severe pain attacks, high temperature, inflammatory reactions and vomiting.
3. Diabetes is a disorder of the endocrine system. It is characterized by insufficient production of the hormone insulin by the gland. Insulin deficiency leads to disturbances in the processing of glucose into glycogen.

All disorders of the pancreas caused by gluttony are accompanied by attacks of nausea and vomiting, sharp pains in the upper abdomen.

Treatment of the disease consists of diet therapy. The following products are prohibited:

• Alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks.
• Fatty, fried, spicy, salty and highly spiced foods.
• Sweets.
• Carbonated drinks.
• Coffee and strong tea.

The basis of the diet should be lean fish and meat, stewed, baked and boiled vegetables, porridge, fermented milk products and eggs, nuts, vegetable oils, greens and purified still water. Nutrition should be moderate, preferably fractional. The diet is followed for a long period of time, and in especially severe cases - throughout life.

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