Eating too much for a long time is more harmful to your body than you think (not just making you fat)!

People always eat too much easily, sometimes because of taste, sometimes because of pressure, and sometimes because of habit.

When we eat, we use our hands to put food into our mouths, and then use our brains to control our mouths to eat the food, or stop eating when we are full.

Many times, when we are eating, our stomach realizes that it is full. By the time it tells the brain and the brain reacts to control our hands and mouth, it is probably 20 minutes later.

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Within these 20 minutes, we had unknowingly eaten a lot of food. Only when we reacted did we realize that our stomachs had grown bigger and our belts were starting to become tighter.

Have you ever had this experience of "unconsciously eating too much"? What changes will happen to your body if you often eat too much? Let's talk about it in detail today.

01

Eating too much will overload the body

The most direct effect of eating too much is that the stomach will be stretched and have to occupy more space in the abdominal cavity, which may squeeze other internal organs and cause symptoms such as abdominal distension, nausea, and vomiting.

The indirect impact is that if you eat too much, multiple digestive organs in the body will have to be overloaded.

First of all, the stomach is not only enlarged, but also has to secrete a large amount of gastric juice to digest food. The enlarged stomach, coupled with excessive gastric juice, is likely to affect the switch at the lower end of the esophagus, causing gastric acid to reflux into the esophagus, causing heartburn, which is commonly known as "heartburn".

Next is the pancreas and liver, which have to secrete more insulin, digestive enzymes and bile to promote the digestion of these foods.

Finally, the intestines have to secrete more digestive juices to digest food, and they also have to absorb excess nutrients. The intestinal flora also have to increase their workload to digest food.

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In addition, studies have found that eating too much high-fat, high-energy food can increase feelings of sadness, tension, and worry.

All of these changes may affect sleep. Some foods will increase body temperature after a meal, which will also interfere with sleep, leading to poor sleep quality and affecting the next day's mental state and quality of life.

02

Eating too much for a long time has a great impact on the body

Eating too much frequently will not only cause short-term pain and discomfort, but more seriously, it will put a long-term burden on the body and cause various health problems.

Causes obesity and increases the risk of death

Eating too much for a long time means taking in too much nutrition for a long time, which is likely to cause obesity. Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases and increases the risk of death, such as:

Type 2 diabetes: People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30-35 kg/m² have a five-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, while people with a BMI of 40-45 kg/m² have a 12-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Obstructive sleep apnea: The risk of obstructive sleep apnea in people with a BMI of 30.0-34.9 kg/m² and a BMI of 40.0-45.0 kg/m² is increased by 5 times and 22 times, respectively.

Cardiovascular disease: Obesity also affects cardiovascular health, increasing the risk of diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. People with a BMI > 30 kg/m² have a 64% increased risk of ischemic stroke and a 24% increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: For every 1 cm increase in waist circumference, the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease increases by 3-10%; for every 1 unit increase in BMI, the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease increases by 13-38%.

Cognitive function: Obesity can cause the cognitive function of the elderly to decline faster by increasing inflammation in the body and damaging endothelial function.

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Trapped in a vicious cycle of overeating

Eating too much for a long time will disrupt the body's regulation of appetite, causing people to fall into a vicious cycle of overeating.

Overeating is inevitable with foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar, which stimulate feel-good hormones such as dopamine. Over time, this causes the brain to associate these pleasures with certain foods, ultimately encouraging you to eat for pleasure rather than hunger.

03

How can I control my mouth and prevent myself from eating too much?

At this point, some readers may ask, how can I know if I have eaten too much?
Here we recommend that you eat until you are 80% full. At this point, you are almost full and can last until the next meal, but you won't feel bloated, and you won't feel reluctant to stop eating or take away the food.

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Of course, many people may eat too much without realizing it, or sometimes they feel stressed and want to eat. Here are a few tips for your reference:

1. Understand the types of food that are most likely to cause you to eat too much, reduce contact with them, or find alternative foods

It is important to note that this does not mean you should not eat ice cream at all. For example, if you always eat a lot of ice cream, it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve your goal of never eating ice cream again. It can also make you feel like you are being deprived of your hobby, making you more likely to binge eat.

2. Eat more foods rich in dietary fiber and water

This type of food is more likely to make you feel full, so you naturally have less chance of eating other foods.

3. Chew slowly

By chewing slowly, you can give your brain more time to know "you are full" immediately.

4. Record your food and mood changes at every meal

Through the "food diary" method, you can achieve self-monitoring, which is also helpful for discovering the trigger foods or trigger factors of overeating, and finding solutions faster and better.

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5. Try to eat on time

Eating on time and maintaining good dining habits can avoid overeating due to hunger and help you better control your diet.

6. Find other ways to decompress

Try to reduce stress in your life and find other ways to release stress and relieve your emotions, such as listening to music, chatting with people, etc., to avoid emotional overeating.

However, if overeating is severe or food addiction develops, it is recommended to seek help from a professional organization as soon as possible.

Finally, if you still can't help but eat too much, find a friend who eats less. Believe me, under the influence of others, you are likely to eat less.

References:

[1] Pehl C, Pfeiffer A, Waizenhoefer A, et al. Effect of caloric density of a meal on lower oesophagealsphincter motility and gastro-oesophageal reflux in healthy subjects. AlimentPharmacol Ther. 2001;15(2):233-239.

[2] Apolzan JW, Bray GA,Hamilton MT, et al. Short-term overeating results in incomplete energy intakecompensation regardless of energy density or macronutrient composition. Obesity(Silver Spring). 2014;22(1):119-130.

[3]Suni E, DeBanto J. Sleepand Overeating. 2022. sleepfoundation.

[4]Ansari S, Haboubi H,Haboubi N. Adult obesity complications: challenges and clinical impact. TherAdv Endocrinol Metab. 2020;11:2042018820934955.

[5] Buie JJ, Watson LS, SmithCJ, et al. Obesity-related cognitive impairment: The role of endothelialdysfunction. Neurobiol Dis. 2019;132:104580.

[6] Singh M. Mood, food, andobesity. Front Psychol. 2014;5:925.

[7] Johnson F, Wardle J. Variety, palatability, and obesity. Adv Nutr. 2014;5(6):851-859.

Author: Jiang Yongyuan, Master of Internal Medicine, Third Military Medical University

Reviewer: Wang Qiang, deputy chief physician, Department of Gastroenterology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital