A research at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research has found that, binge eaters can help themselves eat less for about a year by taking part in a 12 week therapy program.

In America, binge eating is a one of the most common eating disorders and is a difficult condition to recognize and treat. The treatments for binge eating are expensive, time consuming and require highly trained therapists. Most people confuse it with overeating and are not able to get the proper treatment.

The research program enrolled 123 members, which had 90% women and the average age was 37, and these women binged at least once a week. Half the participants were assigned to the normal treatment and the rest were made to read a self-guided program for 12 weeks detailed in a book and meet individually with a health educator for eight sessions.

The researchers found that after a year, 64.2% people were binge free, compared to 44.6% in the other group. Results suggest that a simple and low-cost intervention could be effective.

"The researchers say the American Psychiatric Association has recommended that binge eating be recognized as an eating disorder like bulimia and anorexia".