According to a column appearing in the New York Daily News this week, two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and many others have developed unhealthy eating behaviors. Compulsive overeating, also referred to as "binge eating," is among these risky behaviors. Among other things, binge eating is a major indicator for heart attack risk. Dr. Robert Schwarzberg, a weight control specialist, commented for the article:

"Doctors are indeed examining the pathways that prompt and reward eating. ... But before that kind of magic potion arrives (which we probably wouldn't want to give our kids anyway), maybe we can all make some better choices, one meal at a time."

Dr. Schwarzberg discusses the problematic nature of treating food addiction. Unlike addiction to anything else, food addicts cannot give up eating altogether: "Treatment of most addictions focuses on abstinence. & But the food addict can't just abstain from eating - every meal is like putting a martini on the table in front of the alcoholic and saying, well, just one sip."

Because recovering food addicts must continue to eat, treatment providers are focusing more on the key emotional and physiological aspects that contribute to food abuse. Just like a drug addict who must take medication for a certain condition, the focus becomes more on preventing an altered mood state from occurring during use than on complete abstinence.

(Source: www.nydailynews.com)

Labels: eating disorder, compulsive overeating

Posted By: Aspen Education Group