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Health

Causes of overeating and influence on the body

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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According to the International Classification of Diseases of the 10th revision of ICD-10, overeating is classified as: mental disorders and behavioral disorders (F00-F99):

  • F50-F59 Behavioral syndromes associated with physiological disorders and physical factors
  • F50 Eating disorders (excluded: anorexia NOS, difficulty feeding and introducing food, eating disorder in infancy and childhood, polyphagia).

The syndrome of overeating is food dependence or food addiction. Pathology arises from a variety of factors and causes. The episode can last from a few hours to a whole day. Man continues to eat, despite full saturation.

Such gluttony entails psychological problems. First of all, there is a feeling of regret and bitterness because of the addiction. This weak character leads to depressive and asthenic conditions. Patients who are unable to control the process of overeating need medical attention.

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Cause

The excessive absorption of food arises because of the multitude of various causes that sections on certain groups, consider them:

Physiological:

  • Insensitivity of the stomach to changes in the amount of incoming food. Because of the ability to stretch, the feeling of satiety appears only 15-25 minutes after eating.
  • False feeling of hunger. This reason may indicate a deficiency of vitamins and nutrients in the body or dehydration. It is enough to drink a glass of warm water and the feeling of hunger will pass.
  • Dysfunction of the glands of internal secretion. Disturbances in the work of the hypothalamus, which is responsible for the appetite and sense of saturation, lead to a person who does not feel the brakes during eating, absorbing it non-stop.
  • Food dependence - synthetic and genetically modified foods, sweets with artificial sweeteners, salty and fatty are addictive, which is similar to drug addiction.

Socio-cultural:

  • Selective attitude to products. When choosing a meal, many people take into account not its usefulness and nutritional value for the body, but the aroma, appearance, ease of preparation and of course, cheap.
  • Harmful habits and internal attitudes - gluttony can be imposed by the family and act as a kind of tradition, for example, festive zazhory. In this case, food is considered a vital value. This is observed when visiting a guest, when a person eats, so as not to offend the landlady or guided by their own greed.
  • Restrictions in nutrition - binge eating can be caused by a prolonged diet or malnutrition due to lack of funds to buy food.
  • Lifestyle - fast pace of life and constant employment lead to nutrition on the run or fasting during the day. As a result, people eat up at night, causing metabolic disorders and regular overeating.

Psychological:

  • Low self-esteem and self-doubt.
  • Loneliness.
  • Depressive state.
  • Negative emotions - stress, anxiety and fear can be seized by various delicacies.
  • Encouragement - in this case, gluttony arises from the fact that a person rewards himself with food for the tasks performed or good deeds.

In addition to the above reasons, there is such a problem as overeating in children. It arises from the parents' wrong attitude to food. Attempts to feed a child through strength, when he is full, lead to the fact that the baby stretches his stomach. Because of this, the children's body can store more food than it needs, which entails exchange disorders and obesity.

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Pathogenesis

The mechanism of the development of an eating disorder has not been thoroughly studied. Many physicians and scientists believe that the pathogenesis of overeating is directly related to such factors:

  1. Genetics - some genes increase the tendency to metabolic disorders. That is, people who have relatives with eating disorders may also have this problem to some extent.

Several genes are known to science, mutations in which lead to gluttony and polyphagia:

  • GAD2 - this gene activates the production of gamma-aminobutyric acid in the brain, which binds to the neuropeptides stimulating appetite.
  • Taq1A1 - responsible for the amount of dopamine in the body. Changes in its level lead to a person making decisions slower and later experiencing a saturation with food.
  • FTO is an insidious gene responsible for the tendency to overweight and dependence on food.
  1. Psychological health - most often the disorder is a hypertrophied reaction to stress. The pathological condition develops in people with low self-esteem, obsessive and impulsive behavior. And also because of fears, increased anxiety, anxiety.
  2. The brain - food behavior is affected by serotonin. It is a chemical substance in the brain that regulates mood, sleep, memory, the ability to absorb new information.
  3. Socium - success in society is associated with harmony and physical beauty. The desire to look good leads to deviations in eating behavior. Often, pathology occurs in people with low self-esteem and unsure of themselves.

The etiology of overeating depends on the mechanism of its development, concomitant symptomatology and options for correction.

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Effect of overeating on the body

A large amount of food eaten negatively affects the overall health. Let's consider the effect of overeating on the body:

  • First of all, the gastrointestinal tract falls under the sight, which stretches, changes its shape and size. To some extent, this provokes further voracity to fill the entire body volume and get a sense of satiation.
  • Disturbances on the part of the gastrointestinal tract lead to a decrease in the tone of the intestinal walls, slowing the evacuation of intestinal contents. Food is delayed in the intestine, substances that must be excreted from the body with a stool begin to be absorbed into the blood. Intoxication of the body with products of rotting of nutrient components negatively affects intellectual and physical activity.
  • Gradual accumulation of fat deposits triggers pathological mechanisms that disrupt the functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Lungs are not able to work normally, because of what the oxygen saturation of tissues decreases and anemic conditions develop.
  • The fatty deposits of the heart fatigue because of the increased blood volume. This leads to its weakening and wear. There is a venous congestion, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases increases. Elevated levels of cholesterol are dangerous for blockage of vessels and development of atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes.
  • An increased amount of food causes disturbances in the pancreas. Excessive loads lead to the degeneration of the parenchymal tissue in the connective tissue. Increased risk of pancreatitis and diabetes. Also, hormonal disorders are possible.
  • Excess weight affects not only the organs, but also the spine, joints. Excess body weight leads to a rapid wear of the skeleton. Obesity significantly impairs mobility and metabolic processes.

In addition to the above violations, eating disorder undermines the immune system. A person begins to suffer more often from catarrhal and viral diseases, chronic pathologies become more acute.

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Influence of liver overeating on liver

A multifunctional organ that performs many tasks simultaneously is the liver. Abuse of food and alcoholic drinks adversely affects the liver and the whole body.

  • Violation of the secretion of bile and gastric juice causes digestion problems. The liver does not neutralize toxins, slags, fats, viruses and other harmful substances that now enter the blood. Because of this, stomach ulcers and dyskinesia of the bile ducts can develop. It worsens the condition of the skin, hair and nails.
  • In the liver cells accumulate an excessive amount of triglycerides. Because of the increased amount of fat and slagging of the body, toxin poisoning develops. Because of this, many organs, including the liver, do not cope with their work.

The first signs of violations from the liver are difficult to notice, despite the fact that it increases in size. The organ continues to function normally, and the painful symptomatology is quite non-specific. First of all, chronic fatigue and drowsiness, a feeling of heaviness in the right upper abdomen develops.

Excessive eating for a long period of time in 20% of cases leads to the development of fatty hepatosis. The disease is accompanied by the destruction of the cells of the organ due to inflammatory processes. According to the symptoms, it resembles the signs of influenza with pulling pains under the ribs on the right side. Gradually, problems with digestion lead to the fact that dying tissues begin to be replaced by connective, that is, scar tissue.

At the first signs of failure in the liver, you need to seek medical help and undergo a series of examinations. The state of the organ is assessed using a set of laboratory tests: total and direct bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyltranspepe-tidase. For treatment appoint hepatoprotective drugs in combination with diet and further moderate healthy diet.

Effect of overeating on the pancreas

Increased food intake negatively affects the gastrointestinal tract, including the functioning of the pancreas. This body produces enzymes (trypsin, amylase, lipase), which break down fats, and also synthesizes hormones insulin and glucogans.

Overeating for a long period of time leads to such diseases:

  1. Pancreatin is an inflammation of the pancreas, has several stages, can proceed in chronic form. It is accompanied by pronounced painful sensations, attacks of nausea and vomiting.
  2. The formation of stones - stones appear due to metabolic disorders. Pathology occurs with severe pain attacks, fever, inflammatory reactions and vomiting.
  3. Diabetes is a violation of the endocrine system. It is characterized by inadequate production of the hormone insulin by the gland. Deficiency of insulin leads to violations in the processing of glucose into glycogen.

All disorders of the pancreas caused by voracity, accompanied by attacks of nausea and vomiting, severe pain in the upper abdomen.

Treatment of a painful condition consists in dietotherapy. The following products are banned:

  • Alcoholic and low alcohol drinks.
  • Oily, fried, spicy, salty and with a lot of spices food.
  • Sweets.
  • Carbonated drinks.
  • Coffee and strong tea.

The basis of the diet should be low-fat varieties of fish and meat, stewed, baked and boiled vegetables, cereals, sour-milk products and eggs, nuts, vegetable oils, greens and purified non-carbonated water. The food should be moderate, it is advisable to adhere to the fractional regime. The diet is observed for a long period of time, and in especially severe cases - throughout life.

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