Did you know that binge eating affects 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men and is thought to be America’s most significant eating disorder?

Binge eaters consume massive quantities of food at least twice a week, even when they’re distressed and disgusted with themselves.

What begins as a late-night snack often becomes an eating marathon. Binge eaters will eat hundreds or even thousands of calories at a time. Unlike people with bulimia, they won’t purge the food through vomiting or laxatives. Scientists think that a combination of genetics and psychological factors explain the problem.

Binge Eating Disorder Treatment Options and Help Treatment for binge eating includes counseling, medications to control depression or weight-loss drugs like Meridia.

Extreme cases may require gastric bypass to help patients achieve normal weight. Binge eating might be a sign of anorexia, a more serious and potentially deadly eating disorder. [sources: Biological Psychiatry, FitnessRX]