Binge Eating and Type-2 diabetes: The Hidden Links

Have you ever found yourself eating way too much in one sitting, even when you weren’t that hungry? Maybe you started with a slice of pizza, and before you knew it, you had eaten half the box. Or maybe you told yourself you’d just have a small bowl of ice cream, but suddenly, the whole tub is gone. Another thing, buying/eating so much and hiding the amount or what you brought from others? In a nut shell this is binge eating, and it happens to a lot of people. While it might seem like just an issue of self-control, binge eating can seriously mess with your mental health and also your blood sugar, and that’s a big deal for your health. In this post I want to go over binge eating and it's effects on our blood sugar.

Your body relies on stable blood sugar levels to keep you feeling good. When you binge eat, especially on sugary or processed foods, your blood sugar can spike super high and then crash just as fast. This roller coaster can make you feel tired, shaky, cranky and leave you with feelings of disappointment in yourself and frustration. But over time, binge eating can lead to insulin resistance, a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and even heart disease. The good news? You can take steps to prevent this. Let’s dive into what happens to your body when you binge eat and three easy ways to keep your blood sugar in check.

How Binge Eating can link back to type-2 diabetes

Binge eating isn’t just about eating a lot—it’s usually about eating a lot, there's a psychological need to it. Personally for me it was a lack of dopamine so i would tend to reach for foods which would give me that hit, this was in the form of unhealthy foods. Like crisps/chips, cookies, sweets/candy/chocolates, fast food and so on. These foods are loaded with sugar and refined carbs, which cause blood sugar levels to skyrocket.

Here’s what happens when we binge eat:

Your blood sugar spikes – When you eat a lot of sugary or processed high-carb foods at once, your blood sugar level rises really fast. This makes you feel good at first—maybe even a little energised.

Your body releases insulin – Insulin is a hormone that helps lower blood sugar by moving it into your cells for energy or storage. When your blood sugar jumps up too high, your body pumps out a lot of insulin to bring it back down.

The crash comes – Because so much insulin is released, your blood sugar can drop too low. This makes you feel tired, hungry, and maybe even a little dizzy. This can trigger even more cravings, which might lead you to binge eating again. And the cycle repeats.

Over time, insulin stops working well – If you're binge eating often, your body starts ignoring insulin, which means your blood sugar stays too high. This is called insulin resistance, and it’s the first step toward type 2 diabetes. (Insulin resistance isn't just from those who binge eat)

Higher risk of heart disease – High blood sugar and insulin resistance can lead to inflammation and damage to your blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart disease (also known as cardiovascular disease, or CVD). CVD is closely linked with type 2 diabetes.

So, how can we break the cycle? I've outlined three ways to help you manage binge eating and help with your blood sugar balance. Not to say these are magic bullets, some people do need more help, I only hope that these help even in a small way.

Let's begin.

Eat Balanced Meals Throughout the Day

One of the biggest reasons people binge eat is because they go too long without eating, this generally doesn't help consider dopamine regulation could be off. If you skip meals or don’t eat enough earlier in the day, your blood sugar drops, and your body starts craving fast energy. That’s when you’re most likely to grab whatever food is in sight and eat way too much of it.

Helpful tips:

• Eat regular meals with a balance of protein, healthy fats, and fibre. This keeps your blood sugar stable and prevents hunger from getting out of control.

• Avoid skipping breakfast. A good breakfast with protein (like eggs or Greek yogurt) and healthy carbs (like oatmeal or whole grain toast) helps prevent sugar crashes later.

Over time with practice, and improvements to dietary habits and hormone regulation you might actually want to skip meals. But at first please don't.

• Plan ahead! Keep healthy snacks like nuts, cheese, or fruit with you so you don’t get too hungry and end up binge eating junk food.

Find Better Ways to Handle Stress

A lot of binge eating isn’t just about hunger—it’s about emotions and hormones such a cortisol (stress hormone) as well as dopamine. Stress, boredom, sadness, or even happiness can make you want to eat. When you’re stressed, your body releases a hormone called cortisol, which makes you crave sugary and fatty foods. The problem is, eating junk food might make you feel better for a little while, but it doesn’t fix the real problem—and it can make your blood sugar go crazy.

Helpful tips:

• Find other ways to handle stress, like going for a walk, listening to music, or talking to a friend. There isn't a one size fits all for stress relief.

• Try deep breathing or meditation to calm your mind when you feel overwhelmed.

• If stress eating is a big problem, keep a journal and write down how you’re feeling before you eat. This can help you figure out if you’re truly hungry or just eating because of emotions.

Stay Hydrated and Get Enough Sleep

Did you know that thirst can sometimes feel like hunger? If you’re not drinking enough water, you might think you’re hungry when you’re really just dehydrated. Also, not getting enough sleep can mess with your hunger hormones, making you crave sugar and junk food and push blood sugar making us more susceptible to type 2 diabetes.

Helpful tips:

• Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Try keeping a water bottle with you so you remember to sip regularly.

• Avoid drinking too many sugary drinks like soda or juice. These make blood sugar spikes even worse.

• Get at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night. When you’re well-rested, your body can better regulate hunger and cravings.

Binge eating can feel like a tough habit to break, but small changes can make a big difference. By eating balanced meals, managing stress in healthy ways, and making sure you drink enough water and get enough sleep, you can help keep your blood sugar steady and avoid the binge eating cycle. Over time, these changes can lower your risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

For me I have found reducing high sugary foods from my diet has really helped me. I feel like I don't need to over eat sweet foods or processed foods to make me "feel better" I've found other ways to get my dopamine fix and since doing this I have better control over when to stop eating. Some days are better than others but it's a process. Binge eating and the link with type 2 diabetes should now be quite obvious, and being able to reduce and help yourself looks clearer.

So next time you feel like binge eating, take a deep breath, check in with your body, and try one of these tips instead. Your body (and your future self) will thank you!

If this has helped in any way or you have questions please leave me a comment and I will reach out. Remember you're not alone.