You may know a female friend or relative who has admitted to binge eating. You probably don't know a male friend who has. And that's strange, because according to a recent study, men are almost as likely to binge on food as women and to suffer ill health as a consequence.
The study, published last month in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, surveyed nearly 50,000 men and women about their relationship with food, and found that 8% of men had a tendency to binge. That's less than women - at 11% - but not by much.
"There is a widely held perception that this is just a woman's problem," said Ruth Striegel, a professor of psychology at Wesleyan University and the study's lead researcher. "That's just wrong."
Clearly, many men have a problem with binge eating, even if they rarely admit it. Here are the facts you need to know.
What is binge eating, and why is it unhealthy?
Binge eating is the tendency to lose control in the presence of food, compelling the sufferer to overeat on a regular basis. He will eat large amounts of food in a short space of time, and will often do so privately, away from prying eyes. He'll carry on eating long after he has satisfied his hunger, and will often feel guilty at the end of the binge.
The study found that you don't have to binge eat all the time to suffer health consequences. Those who reported bingeing at least once a month were more likely to be obese, depressed, and to report sleeping problems than people who don't binge, and that was just as true of men as women.
Nutritionist Teresa Dupay agrees that binge eating can lead to both physical and psychological problems.
"Binge eating is associated with distress, depression and obesity - and its associated metabolic features like diabetes," she says. "There's also evidence linking binge eating with impairment at work."
Why do so few men admit to binge eating?
As the study showed, 8% of men may be affected by binge eating, but there's every chance you don't know of one. Binge eating is considered a woman's problem, and one that few men will admit to.
"Men have been ignored when it comes to binge eating for two reasons," says Dupay. "First, men feel stigmatised about having these 'women's problems' and have been reluctant to seek help."
"Second, health care providers might be less likely to accurately detect an eating disorder in a male patient because eating disorders are widely thought of as female problems."
In other words, both male sufferers and the people who treat them may be failing to diagnose and treat binge eating. Ruth Striegel believes that men are much less likely to seek treatment for an eating disorder, and also far less likely to enrol in studies to find effective ways to treat it.
It's a catch-22 for men. Few of us admit to the problem, which makes solving the problem that much harder
Why does binge eating even need treatment - don't men have willpower?
Men - and women - can have plenty of willpower, but binge eating can be a tough cycle to break. And that's because of what binge eating does to the chemical balance of our bodies. Teresa Dupay puts it down to "the roller coaster of blood sugar".
Put simply, binge eating leads to a surge in blood sugar which in turn leads to raised insulin production. The insulin causes a sharp fall in blood sugar, which means the brain thinks more food is needed to top up glucose levels. The binge eater gets cravings for sugary foods to top up blood sugar even if they're not hungry, which in turn leads to a rise in insulin production, and the whole cycle begins again.
In a word, binge eaters are being undone by the powerful chemical cravings of their bodies. Sometimes willpower alone isn't enough.
So what can be done?
Nobody has to suffer the consequences of binge eating, but first you have to admit to the problem. If you regularly carry on eating long after you've satisfied your hunger, you may be a binge eater. In that case, seeing your GP can be a good first step.
They can evaluate the extent of the potential problem and point you in the direction of further help if necessary. For example, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been found to successfully help binge eaters break the cycle of negative or self-destructive thoughts that lead to a blowout.
But there's plenty you can do to help yourself, too
For a start, says Dupay, make sure you're getting enough sleep. Getting too little has been found to lead to cravings for calories. In one experiment, sleep-deprived subjects ate on average 300 more calories a day than their well-rested counterparts.
Then reduce your alcohol intake. Alcohol supplies carbohydrates in liquid form, says Dupay, which means they hit the blood stream quicker and prompt high levels of insulin production, which can trigger the binge eating cycle.
Exercise is a great way to reduce blood sugar levels and stop the binge eating cycle before it starts - just a half hour walk after a meal is all it takes. On top of that, practise intelligent eating. "Eat little and often to avoid the binge eating frenzy," says Dupay. Eat plenty of vegetables with every main meal - they release sugar slowly into the bloodstream helping to ward off the sharp peaks and troughs that can set off the binge eating cycle.
Finally, drink plenty of water and avoid sugary soft drinks.
The good news
Many experts agree that men's binge eating is finally getting the attention it deserves ("it's been ignored for far too long," says Teresa Dupay), which means if you think you may suffer from binge eating, you can rest assured that you're far from alone.
And the good news is that it can be far easier than you might think to break the bingeing cycle, and banish the guilt, depression and weight gain that can go along with it.
