Binge Eating in the General Population

We still have much to learn about the psychosocial and behavioral aspects of binge eating. It has been estimated that about 35% of college students binge eat, and from one-fourth to one-half of obese people who seek treatment for weight loss are binge eaters.

A study at the University of Minnesota produced some interesting information about women who binge eat. The researchers found that overweight women were about twice as likely to binge eat as normal-weight women. The study also showed that among the 816 women aged 20–45 who enrolled in the Pound of Prevention Study, both overweight and normal-weight women were commonly affected by dieting, depression, and preoccupation with their weight and shape. Compared with normal-weight women, overweight women were less active, spent more hours watching television each week, ate more fast food meals, had a higher total energy intake, and ate fewer low-fat foods.