There are times when we eat more, and others less… this is normal, as hunger is influenced by many factors, such as: stress, lifestyle, daily concerns, mood…

But what happens when we eat too much, or when we are too hungry? Then we talk about a more serious problem… hyperphagia . In this article we will see what it is, what its symptoms are, its causes (which can be medical and/or psychological) and possible treatments for it.

Hyperphagia: what is it?

The word hyperphagia comes from the Greek term “hyper-” (meaning abundance, excess) and the term “-phagia” (meaning to eat). That is, technically it is translated as an increase in food intake, produced by an increase in appetite (although the cause may be different).

Thus, in hyperphagia (also called polyphagia) there is an excessive increase in appetite, which is added to uncontrolled food intake . It usually occurs without apparent cause, although throughout the article we will try to investigate its causes, which often have to do with medical or hormonal issues, beyond the psychological ones.

People who suffer from hyperphagia are unable to differentiate when they feel real appetite and when they feel anxiety, and therefore they eat excessively in both situations. The cycles of uncontrolled eating in people with hyperphagia can vary greatly from person to person, and we find persistent cycles of appetite, and cycles of more or less appetite (which vary).

The direct consequence of hyperphagia, added to many others that may be less visible to the naked eye, is an increase in body weight , overweight or obesity (which does not always have to appear). This overweight or obesity can lead to cardiovascular disease or diabetes.

Symptoms

The symptoms of hypergagia are as follows.

Increased appetite/ compulsive need to eat

It may be that there is an increase in appetite, or that it really isn’t, and that it is more of a “food craving” or the need to eat in an impulsive and/or uncontrolled way . This would be the main symptom of hyperphagia.

2. Sense of guilt

Associated with the above symptom, there is often a feeling of guilt about having eaten too much .

3. Preference for sugary or fatty foods

Another symptom of hyperphagia is the preference, on the part of the person suffering from it, for high-calorie foods with a high content of fat and/or sugar (for example, sweets, industrial baked goods, fried foods, etc.).

4. Overweight or Obesity

As we have already seen at the beginning, suffering from hyperphagia can lead to overweight or even obesity problems, which in turn can cause different types of diseases, especially cardiovascular and endocrine ones (e.g. diabetes).

5. Digestive problems

Another consequence of hyperphagia is digestive problems, which appear due to uncontrolled or excessive eating, and which make it impossible to digest food properly .

Causes

The causes of hyperphagia can be diverse, although it is true that they are usually related to more emotional issues, as is often the case with food. Also, but, they can be related to hormonal alterations. Let’s look at some of the most frequent causes:

1. Anxiety

Anxiety is an altered psycho-physiological state, in which the person may suffer different symptoms such as insomnia, palpitations, dizziness, malaise, irritability, depressive symptoms, catastrophic thoughts…

In turn, anxiety is one of the possible causes of hyperphagia. The fact of suffering from anxiety can lead many people to eat more, not so much because they have more appetite, but because of that anxiety is born that need to eat. Thus, mistakenly, the body associates anxiety with hunger.

2. Bulimia

Suffering from bulimia is another cause of hyperphagia. Thus, many patients with this eating disorder (ED) may develop hyperphagia .

After eating, however, they often apply compensatory behaviours to counteract this “excess” of food they have ingested (e.g. through vomiting, use of laxatives, intense physical exercise, etc.).

3. Grave’s Disease

The causes of hyperphagia can also be medical and/or endocrine, as in the case of Grave’s Disease. This disease consists of an autoimmune thyroiditis that stimulates the thyroid gland . One of its symptoms may be hyperphagia.

4. Diabetes mellitus

The disease of diabetes mellitus, which has as its main symptom an excess of glucose (sugar) in the blood, can also lead to hyperphagia. Remember that it can also happen the other way around; that hyperphagia leads to diabetes (in this case, type II).

5. Pregnancy diabetes

In this case, diabetes also involves excess blood glucose, although the etiology is different, and it appears during pregnancy. It can also cause hyperphagia in the pregnant woman.

6. Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism, an autoimmune disease of the endocrine system that occurs when the thyroid gland secretes excess thyroxine hormone , can also cause hyperphagia. Thus, people with this disease are at greater risk of gaining weight for this and other reasons.

7. Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a condition involving low blood glucose levels , and can also lead to hyperphagia.

8. Premenstrual syndrome

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) encompasses a range of physiological and psychological symptoms that occur in women, beginning during the second half of the menstrual cycle.

These symptoms often, but not always, include hyperphagia; some women feel just the opposite, a lack of appetite or a bloated feeling.

9. Medications

Finally, certain types of drugs can also produce, among their side effects, hyperphagia. Some of the most common are: corticoids, antidepressants and antihistamines .

Treatment

Treatment of hyperphagia requires addressing the cause of the increased intake and/or appetite. If the cause is anxiety, this should be addressed from a multidisciplinary perspective, ideally with the participation of the psychiatrist and psychologist . The important thing is that this cycle of “anxiety ⇒ anxiety about eating ⇒ uncontrolled or excessive intake” is broken.

Thus, from psychotherapy, the patient should be taught to correctly identify the physiological signs of his organism that indicate that he is hungry, and to differentiate those signs from his own anxiety or nervousness.

On the other hand, if the causes of hyperphagia are medicated or medical, a medical professional should be consulted so that the type of medication and the proper dose can be adjusted for the patient, or so that a proper medical diagnosis can be made if it is not already available. In these cases, a blood and urine test is usually performed; the functioning of the thyroid gland is also assessed (to rule out hyperthyroidism, among others).

Bibliographic references:

  • AS Aragón, SCR López, MED Velasco and GM Cruz. (2018). Emotions and cognitions of a man with hyperphagia: a case study. International Digital Journal of Psychology and Social Science, 4(2): 24-37.
  • DL Córdoba, AEK Cacho and MHC Morales. (2002). Relationship between overeating and emotion management: an experience with students. Psychology and Health, 12(2).

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  • MedLine Plus, Medical Encyclopedia. (2020). Premenstrual syndrome.
  • Sanitas, Health Library [online]. (2019). The increase in hunger (hyperphagia).

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