Maria Clara Farias Tavares da Silva · Jennifer Mikaella Ferreira Melo · Natália Gomes da Silva Lopes ·André Eduardo da Silva Júnior · Mateus de Lima Macena · Nassib Bezerra Bueno https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11695-026-08812-0 Summary: Food Addiction (FA) may play an important role in what happens after metabolic and bariatric surgery, particularly when it comes to long-term weight outcomes. In a study of 631 women at least 18 months after surgery, nearly 1 in 5 met criteria for food addiction. Compared with women without food addiction, they had higher anxiety symptoms, were less physically active, consumed more ultra-processed foods, lost less weight overall, and had a higher current BMI. The findings do not prove that food addiction causes these differences, but they highlight an important piece of the post-surgery picture and raise questions about how ongoing screening and multidisciplinary support could help patients maintain their progress.
Assessing maladaptive sugar-rich food consumption: development and preliminary validation of the sugar misuse questionnaire
Pascal Perney, Raphaël Trouillet, Sophie Schuldiner, Hélène Donnadieu, Philippe Lehert, Mickael Naassila https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2026.1855019/full From the Abstract: Excessive consumption of sugar-rich foods is associated with adverse metabolic and health outcomes. Beyond the amount of sugar consumed, growing evidence suggests that some individuals experience maladaptive patterns of sugar-rich food consumption characterized by craving, loss of control, and persistence despite negative consequences. However, existing instruments primarily assess general food addiction or eating disorders and may not adequately capture behavioral patterns specifically related to sugar-rich products. The sugar misuse questionnaire (SuMQ) uses a mixed-methods approach. First, a qualitative study was conducted with individuals reporting severe difficulties related to sugar-rich food consumption to identify salient experiential dimensions of sugar misuse (SuM). Key themes were extracted through thematic analysis and used to generate questionnaire items. Second, the psychometric properties of the SuMQ were evaluated in a general population sample. Item functioning and scale structure were examined using Rasch modeling, followed by dimensionality analyses. ROC analyses were conducted to explore preliminary severity thresholds.
Ultra-Processed Foods and the Emergence of Addictive Eating Behaviors
Dilek Sivri ∙ Elif Çelik ∙ Ayşe Derya Bayazıt ∙ Makbule Gezmen Karadağ https://cdn.nutrition.org/article/S2475-2991(26)00497-X/fulltext From the Abstract: Ultra-processed foods are associated with adverse health outcomes and may trigger addictive biological and behavioral responses. This review aims to examine the association between ultra-processed food consumption and Food Addiction symptoms and addictive eating behaviors. Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is consistently associated with greater food addiction symptoms and addictive eating behaviors. Individuals reporting more food addiction symptoms, irrespective of formal diagnostic status, tend to consume higher amounts of ultra-processed foods. Additives used in ultra-processed foods may enhance palatability compared to minimally processed foods, potentially reinforcing addictive-like eating patterns.
Food Addiction Symptoms in Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder
Jennifer J. Barb, Li Yang, Jenny Yarmovsky, Melanie Schwandt, Vijay Ramchandani, Nancy Diazgranados, Ashley N. Gearhardt, Lorenzo Leggio doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.08.11.26360166 From the Abstract: In this cross-sectional study of 743 adults with AUD, approximately one-third exhibited FA symptoms. Similar prevalence was observed among individuals seeking treatment for AUD and those not seeking treatment for AUD, despite differences in clinical characteristics. FA symptoms were associated with higher body mass index, greater psychological distress, and greater alcohol dependence severity, with some associations differing by treatment status. FA was common among adults with AUD and was associated with greater psychological, behavioral, and metabolic burden regardless of treatment-seeking status. These findings suggest that FA identifies a clinically meaningful subgroup of individuals with AUD who may benefit from more comprehensive assessment and integrated treatment approaches.
Web-Based Educational Application for Mental Health Self-Monitoring After Bariatric Surgery: Development and Content Validation Study
Amanda Polaro1 ; Roberta M Machado1 doi:10.2196/92810 From the Abstract: This formative research study focused on developing and validating a digital health educational intervention in accordance with the systematic instructional design model, encompassing the phases of analysis, design/development, and validation. A panel of 13 experts performed content validation using the Pasquali criteria. Interrater agreement was quantitatively assessed using the content validity index (CVI) for clarity and relevance, with a minimum acceptable agreement threshold of ≥0.80. Results: The application includes 11 screens and integrates validated psychometric instruments for self-monitoring of key mental health conditions, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. In addition, the platform includes body weight monitoring, physical activity tracking, and access to educational content on healthy eating and mental health. The application incorporates motivational strategies such as goal setting, automated alerts, and encouragement of multidisciplinary follow-up.
Using Best-Worst Scaling to explore the perceived addictiveness of foods by processing level: a cross-sectional study among higher education students in Belgium
Elisa Giot, Olivier Ethgen, Nadia Dardenne, Sandrine Péneau, & Axelle Hoge https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13690-026-02006-x In a cross-sectional study completed among higher education students in Belgium, researchers examined how students perceived the addictive potential of foods with different levels of processing. The study used a Best-Worst Scaling approach to compare foods and assess how processing level influenced perceptions of addictive-like eating. The findings showed that ultra-processed foods were consistently ranked as having the highest perceived addictiveness, with foods such as chips, chocolate brownies, sugary sweets, and soft drinks rated as more problematic than minimally processed or processed foods. The results highlight differences in perceived addictiveness between food categories and the potential role of ultra-processed foods in addictive-like eating behaviors.
Targeting the Hunger Hormone Receptor: Ghrelin Antagonists as Potential Therapeutics for Stress-Induced Binge Eating and Obesity
Mariya A. Netes, Samson O. Afolabi, Andrei A. Lebedev, Eugenii R. Bychkov, Petr D. Shabanov Ekaterina V. Skorb, and Sergey Shityakov https://doi.org/10.1142/S2737416526500985 From the Abstract: This study looks at how stress and modern dietary environments may contribute to obesity and disordered eating, including compulsive overeating and food addiction. It focuses on ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates hunger, as a possible target for treatment. Researchers tested two ghrelin-blocking compounds, D-Lys3-GHRP-6 and YIL 781, using computer modeling and experiments in stressed rats. The results showed that YIL 781 binds more strongly to the ghrelin receptor and reduces chocolate consumption in stressed rats, suggesting it may help reduce stress-related overeating.
Food Addiction, Eating Motivation, Dietary Knowledge, and Eating Patterns in Young Adults
Palvisha Iqbal Phd Scholar, Institute of Applied Psychology, University of the Punjab Afifa Anjum Associate Professor, Institute of Applied Psychology, University of the Punjab DOI: https://doi.org/10.51846/ajisbs.v3i1.5447 Researchers examined the relationships among Food Addiction, eating motivation, dietary knowledge, and eating patterns in young adults. The study used measures such as the Yale Food Addiction Scale, eating-habit questionnaires, nutritional knowledge assessments, and eating-pattern questionnaires to evaluate these relationships. The findings showed that eating motivation was significantly associated with eating patterns, whereas Food Addiction was not significantly related to them in this sample. The study also found that dietary knowledge influenced the relationship between eating motivation and eating patterns, with higher dietary knowledge and stronger motivation associated with healthier eating patterns.
Individuals With Food Addiction After Metabolic And Bariatric Surgery Show Higher Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods, Sedentary Lifestyle, Anxiety, and Sub-Optimal Body Weight Trajectories
Maria Clara Farias Tavares da Silva, Jennifer Mikaella Ferreira Melo, Natália Gomes da Silva Lopes, André Eduardo da Silva Júnior, Mateus de Lima Macena, and Nassib Bezerra Bueno https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42364013 Those with Food Addiction show higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, a sedentary lifestyle, anxiety, and suboptimal body weight trajectories. Researchers examined differences in dietary, behavioral, and health-related outcomes among women who had undergone metabolic and bariatric surgery based on the presence of Food Addiction. The study evaluated Food Addiction symptoms, ultra-processed food consumption, anxiety symptoms, physical activity levels, and weight outcomes among 631 women at least 18 months after surgery. The findings showed that women with Food Addiction had higher consumption of ultra-processed foods, greater anxiety symptoms, lower physical activity levels, higher current body mass index, and lower total weight loss compared to women without Food Addiction. The results highlight associations between Food Addiction and challenges with weight maintenance and health behaviors following bariatric surgery.
Meal-Specific and Qualitative Patterns of Ultra-Processed Food Consumption in Adults with Food Addiction and Excess Weight: A Secondary Cross-Sectional Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
by Débora C. Ferro, Marianna V. C. Rocha, Thayná X. R. de Oliveira, Mariana K. de B. Lima, Cellyne V. da Silva, and Nassib B. Bueno https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4168/6/3/43 This study examined whether people with Food Addiction (FA) consume different types of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and whether these foods cluster around specific meals. Researchers analyzed dietary data from 144 adults with excess body fat using 24-hour food recalls and classified foods using the NOVA system. FA was identified using the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0. The results showed that 26 participants met the criteria for FA. This group consumed a higher proportion of UPFs compared to those without FA and a lower proportion of unprocessed or minimally processed foods. The FA group also ate more ultra-processed sweets and confectionery, and their UPF intake was higher during the afternoon snack. Total energy intake and macronutrient distribution were similar between groups. The study concludes that food addiction is associated with a distinct dietary pattern characterized by higher consumption of sweet UPFs and a concentration of these foods during afternoon snacking.