Type 2 Diabetes and Eating Disorders

You've probably heard of anorexia and bulimia. But the most common eating disorder associated with Type 2 diabetes (historically, the adult-onset form of the disease) is BED, short for binge eating disorder. Other eating disorders have also been associated with this type of diabetes, and some not only contribute to the disease but can make it difficult to manage the disease.

BED

• According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, binge eating is characterized by episodes where you eat large quantities of food quickly. During these episodes, you feel as if you've lost control. You'll eat to the point where you're uncomfortable. Those with the condition are so ashamed and disgusted by their actions that they typically avoid others and eat alone. Unlike bulimia, the food is digested as BED sufferers don't purge after the binge event.

BED Prevalence

• According to "Type 2 Diabetes: Principles and Practice" by Barry J. Goldstein and Dirk Müller-Wieland, 70 percent of those with BED are obese. Of those with Type 2, 80 percent are obese. The prevalence of BED in those with Type 2 varies depending on the study you look at. According to the BNET's Nutrition Research Newsletter, BED can occur in as few as 2.5 percent of those volunteers in a study to as many as 25.6 percent. In the general population, 1 to 2 percent suffer from BED, according to "Type 2 Diabetes: Principles and Practice."

Eating Disorders

• The chances of having or developing an eating disorder are higher if you are diabetic, according to the American Diabetes Association. The ADA sampled nearly 700 patients in a dozen diabetes medical centers, and found that 6 to 8 percent of them had an eating disorder. The odds of developing an eating disorder over the course of your lifetime are even higher if you're diabetic, as the lifetime incident probability ranged from 10 to 14 percent. Interestingly enough, the odds of having eating disorders were the same whether you had Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

Differences

• Though the chances of developing an eating disorder are the same if you have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, the type of eating disorder you're likely to have differs. If you are a Type 2 diabetic, you are more likely to binge eat. Those with Type 1 are more likely to not take insulin as a way to lose weight, a disorder known as diabulimia, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Night Eating

• If you have Type 2, you also stand a greater chance of having Night Eating Syndrome, according to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In fact, their research found that, at 4 percent, two times as many participants had NES--a disordered pattern of eating characterized by consuming a quarter of your total caloric intake after the evening meal and/or three episodes of waking up and eating during the night each week--as compared to BED.

Characteristics

• According to U-Penn School of Medicine, Type 2 diabetics with these conditions are typically younger. They're also heavier than those who don't have disordered eating. In particular with NES, sufferers have a tough time sticking to their exercise and diet regimens and also have a tough time managing their glucose levels.