Binge Eating, Overeating May Be Associated With Initiating Use of Marijuana, Other Drugs

Food as a gateway drug.

Overeating and binge eating may be associated with initiating use of marijuana and other drugs in a study of adolescents and young adults, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Binge eating is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) as eating an amount of food that is larger than most people would eat in a similar period under similar circumstances and feeling a lack of control over eating during the episode, according to the study background.

Kendrin R. Sonneville, Sc.D., R.D., of Boston Children's Hospital, and colleagues examined the association between overeating (without loss of control) and binge eating (overeating with loss of control) and adverse outcomes such as overweight/obesity, depressive symptoms, frequent binge drinking, marijuana use and other drug use.

Time to outlaw food.