Mindfulness: A tool you can use at home to help reduce binge eating

When people describe binge eating, they often say that time passes by in a haze and they are barely aware of the actual act of eating. We all know it’s helpful to eat slowly, and many popular programs encourage eating “mindfully” such that we fully engage in the experience of each bite. New research released online this month offers support for the practice of mindful meditation as an important tool that can help reduce binge eating.

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Is bulimia like a drug addiction?

When the craving for a particular food hits someone suffering from bulimia it can seem impossible to overcome. Resisting the urge to binge, like resisting an urge to use drugs, can feel intensely horrible despite knowing that such resistance would ultimately feel better down the road. New research published this month analyzes the similarities between bulimia and drug addiction.

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How migraines might predict eating disorders

Did you experience severe headaches or migraines years before developing bulimia? While they seem like two independent medical issues, new research describes the neurological similarities between migraines and eating disorders. A study released online last week describes how parts of the brain that are implicated in migraines may also be contributing to eating disorders.

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Can a 4 hour program for couples prevent eating disorders?

What does your partner think about the way you look? How does this affect the way you think about your body? Based on the idea that individuals in a relationship can heavily influence each others’ body image, researchers from Texas A&M University recently developed and tested a training program to help couples improve their communication and attitudes related to body image. As a result, the researchers assumed, the training program would prevent eating disorders.

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Using text messages as part of treatment for bulimia and binge eating

Attending an inpatient program when your eating disorder symptoms escalate is often an intense experience. While the program may help reduce symptoms, it can be hard to maintain healthier habits after leaving and suddenly losing a tremendous amount of support. In a study just released online, researchers in Germany added a novel text messaging component in their plan for patients leaving the hospital.

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Binge eating after age 65

We tend to associate eating disorders with teenagers and young adults despite research showing that people often experience different types of eating disorders at different points in their life. In the last few years, there has been increasing awareness of how anorexia and bulimia affect older adults, but very little attention to binge eating among this group. A new study released online this week is the first to examine binge eating among the elderly.

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Cognitive behavioral therapy reduces binge eating in teens and adults

People struggling with binge eating often have a complicated relationship with food throughout their life. They may begin dieting or overeating as a teen and experiences ups and downs in emotional eating for years to follow. Two new research studies that were released online last week show that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can help both teens and adults to improve their eating.

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People of all races suffer from binge eating and bulimia

Dr. Gupta spoke today on the Pix11 New York morning news about how eating disorders are not limited to white women. Recent research suggests that African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, and Caucasians are all suffering from eating disorders.

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Does binge eating during pregnancy affect the baby?

For many women, pregnancy triggers increased stress related to eating –Am I gaining too much weight? Am I gaining enough weight? Am I eating the right foods? The range of worries around eating and weight may seem endless. A new research study released online this week sought to answer questions around how binge eating actually affects both the baby's and mother’s physical health.

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When puberty is (and isn't) related to bulimia

Children today are experiencing puberty at earlier ages than ever before. A recent NY Times article prompted much discussion over girls beginning puberty as young as 6-years-old. Could the timing of puberty be related to eating disorder symptoms? A study released online this month suggests this is true for both girls and boys. 

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