In recent decades, researchers have considered obesity an endocrine disease with co-morbid mental disorders. This necessitates implementing new treatment and preventive methods for correcting psycho-emotional status. Such a complex approach helps control appetite and form healthy eating patterns and a healthy lifestyle.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the existing diagnostic criteria, pathogenesis features, and risk factors for episodes of compulsive overeating as one of the hidden eating disorders.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We analyzed the literature reviews and original articles from PubMed and eLibrary databases published from mid-last century till August 2024 using the following keywords: dietary restriction, binge eating disorder.
RESULTS
Compulsive overeating, or psychogenic overeating, is a recurrent, non-controlled overeating resulting over time in gaining weight. People suffering from compulsive overeating have more pronounced cognitive deviations regarding food and reduced sensitivity to reward. Hidden compulsive overeating can lead to several complications (myocardial infarction, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, apnea, sleep disorders, gastroesophageal reflux disease). Compulsive overeating has genetic, biological, and behavioral reasons. There is contradictory data on the impact of dietary restrictions on the risk of compulsive overeating.
CONCLUSION
Extreme dietary restrictions like interval fasting can result in psychoemotional disharmony and episodes of compulsive overeating. Additional research is needed to study the true prevalence of binge eating disorder in obesity and clarify the predisposition factors for developing eating disorders during a change in dietary patterns.