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Binge eating disorder (BED) is a psychiatric eating disorder marked by recurrent episodes of eating an unusually large amount of food in a discrete period with a subjective loss of control, occurring at least weekly for three months and causing marked distress. Unlike bulimia nervosa, binges are not followed by regular compensatory behaviors such as purging or fasting (DSM-5-TR / APA). BED is the most prevalent eating disorder in the United States and is frequently comorbid with obesity, metabolic disease, mood and anxiety disorders, and trauma histories (NIMH).
From a nutritional psychology perspective, BED sits at the intersection of food reward and ultra-processed diets, emotion dysregulation and interoception, body image and weight stigma, and microbiota-gut-brain and GLP-1 appetite signaling. Evidence-based treatments include CBT-E, IPT, DBT, and lisdexamfetamine, alongside nutritional care that restores regular eating patterns and attuned hunger and fullness cues.
Author and reviewer
Editorial responsibilityReferences and further reading
- Amianto F, Ottone L, Abbate Daga G, Fassino S. Binge-eating disorder diagnosis and treatment: a recap in front of DSM-5. BMC Psychiatry. 2015;15:70. doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0445-6. View source
How to cite this entry
Encyclopedia of Nutritional Psychology. (2026). Binge eating disorder (BED). The Center for Nutritional Psychology.
https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/encyclopedia/binge-eating-disorder-bed/Know a term that belongs in the Encyclopedia?
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