Beyond the Plate: Understanding Binge Eating

Research from India suggests that disordered eating behaviours, including binge eating, are a growing concern among adolescents.

A 2025 survey titled Eating Disorder Risk Among Indian Adolescents, conducted in Chennai, found that among 860 adolescents, 24.7% were at high risk of an eating disorder, while 17% reported binge-eating episodes. High stress, social media use, and body image dissatisfaction were strongly associated with eating disorder risk.

Another study, Binge-Eating Behaviour in Urban Adolescents (Mumbai, 2020), reported that among 2,000 adolescents, approximately 50% experienced moderate binge eating, while 36% reported severe binge eating.

A separate study on disordered eating behaviours among Indian adolescents found that 17.2% screened positive for disordered eating behaviours, while 81.1% reported body dissatisfaction. The study also suggested that girls were at significantly higher risk of binge-eating disorder than boys. Body dissatisfaction, BMI, and psychiatric symptoms were identified as major contributing factors.

Binge-Eating Behaviour vs. Binge-Eating Disorder

Before using these terms interchangeably, it is important to understand that binge-eating behaviour, binge-eating disorder, and emotional eating are not the same thing. Our website also has a separate blog dedicated to emotional eating.

Binge-eating behaviour refers to episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food, sometimes during periods of stress or emotional discomfort. These episodes may be accompanied by feelings of guilt, regret, or a sense of losing control over eating.

In contrast, both the DSM-5-TR and the ICD-11 recognise binge-eating disorder (BED) as a diagnosable eating disorder.

BED involves recurrent episodes of eating unusually large amounts of food, accompanied by a sense of loss of control and significant distress. These episodes can affect a person's emotional well-being, relationships, work, and everyday life. Shame, guilt, body dissatisfaction, and, for some individuals, experiences of trauma may also be part of their struggles.

The Restrict–Binge Cycle

Clinical psychologist Dr Tana Lou describes the restrict–binge cycle as a pattern in which food restriction is followed by binge eating, which may then trigger further restriction.

The restrict–binge cycle can become a difficult pattern to break. A person may begin by suppressing hunger, skipping meals, or eating significantly less than their body needs. Over time, inadequate food intake can intensify hunger and preoccupation with food. Hormones such as ghrelin, which plays a role in regulating hunger, also contribute to appetite regulation.

When hunger becomes overwhelming, a person may experience an episode of binge eating. This may then trigger guilt or distress, leading them to restrict food again. And so, the cycle continues.

Binge Eating Is Not a Failure of Character

When we witness ourselves or others binge eating, we may interpret it as a sign of weakness, a lack of self-control, or a personal failure. The reality, however, is more complex.

Shame Can Contribute to Further Binge Eating

Shame is a self-conscious emotion that can become deeply tied to a person's identity. It may narrow attention, intensify emotional distress, encourage impulsive behaviour, and lead to social withdrawal or an urge to escape uncomfortable feelings.

Shame can also activate the brain's threat-and-stress response. When someone feels judged, rejected, embarrassed, or intensely self-critical, they may experience this as a social threat. This can increase emotional arousal, making it harder to think calmly, regulate emotions, or use flexible coping strategies.

A person experiencing shame may struggle with:

• Anxiety, emotional pain, or inner tension

• Repetitive or racing self-critical thoughts

• A strong desire to hide, escape, or withdraw

• Reduced ability to pause and think before acting

In such moments, food may become a familiar and readily available way to seek comfort or temporarily distract oneself from emotional discomfort.

Body Dissatisfaction Can Contribute to Binge Eating

Body dissatisfaction can be one of several factors associated with binge eating. Food may offer temporary comfort or an escape from painful feelings of unhappiness, shame, or self-judgement related to one's body.

Intense preoccupation with body image may also contribute to restrictive eating and heightened distress around food. For some people, restriction may be followed by binge eating, which can then bring further guilt and dissatisfaction. This may reinforce the cycle.

Leptin and Ghrelin: Two Hormones That Play a Role

Ghrelin is often referred to as the hunger hormone. It plays a role in stimulating appetite and regulating hunger. Hunger, inadequate food intake, and sleep deprivation can all influence appetite and the desire to eat. Changes in these signals may contribute to increased food-seeking and, in some circumstances, binge-eating episodes.

Leptin, on the other hand, is a hormone produced primarily by fat cells. It helps signal the brain about the body's energy stores and contributes to the regulation of appetite and energy balance.

In leptin resistance, the brain responds less effectively to leptin signals. This may interfere with appetite regulation and contribute to changes in hunger and satiety.

However, binge eating cannot be explained by hormones alone. Stress, emotions, dietary restriction, sleep, reward pathways, and learned coping behaviours can all influence a person's relationship with food.

“When we turn to food for comfort, we are not failing at discipline; we are reaching for comfort in the best way we know how. The work is not to fight the hunger, but to understand what we are truly starving for.”