Horsager, C., Færk, E., Lauritsen, M. B., & Østergaard, S. D. (2020). Validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 and estimation of the population prevalence of food addiction. Clinical Nutrition, 39(9), 2917–2928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2019.12.030 From the research article’s abstract: “Background & aims: Food addiction (FA) is likely to contribute to the global obesity epidemic. Most studies of FA have been conducted within clinical and/or highly selected populations, suggesting that prevalence estimates of FA may be biased. This is problematic as valid estimates of the population prevalence of FA is a requirement for informing and designing public health initiatives focusing on this phenotype. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the weighted prevalence of food addiction in the adult general population of Denmark. Methods: A random sample of 5000 individuals aged 18 to 62 from the Danish population was invited to participate in a survey, which included the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) and several rating scales measuring eating pathology and other psychopathology. Health, demographic and socioeconomic data from the Danish registers were linked to all invitees to allow for attrition analysis.
Treating binge eating and Food Addiction symptoms with low-carbohydrate Ketogenic diets: a case series
Carmen, M., Safer, D. L., Saslow, L. R., Kalayjian, T., Mason, A. E., Westman, E. C., & Sethi Dalai, S. (2020). Treating binge eating and food addiction symptoms with low-carbohydrate Ketogenic diets: a case series. Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-020-0278-7 Conclusions: “Although the absence of control cases precludes conclusions regarding the specific role of ketogenic diets versus other forms of dietary restriction, this is the first report to demonstrate the feasibility of prescribing a ketogenic diet for patients with obesity who report binge eating and food addiction symptoms. Further research should seek to reproduce the observed effects in controlled trials as well as to explore potential etiologies.”
Overeating and food addiction in Major Depressive Disorder: Links to peripheral dopamine
Mills, J. G., Thomas, S. J., Larkin, T. A., & Deng, C. (2020). Overeating and food addiction in Major Depressive Disorder: Links to peripheral dopamine. Appetite, 148, 104586. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2020.104586 From the research article’s abstract: “The concept of food addiction refers to addiction-like behaviours that develop in association with the intake of highly palatable foods. Previous research indicates that a high proportion of individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) meet the criteria for food addiction, and are also at an increased risk of weight gain and chronic disease. In the central nervous system, dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with reward salience and food intake, whereas peripheral dopamine is involved in sympathetic stress regulation, digestion and gastrointestinal motility. However, little research has examined relationships between peripheral dopamine, depressive symptoms and problematic eating behaviours in MDD. Biometrics, psychopathology and plasma dopamine levels were compared between participants with MDD (n = 80) and controls (n = 60). Participants were sub-categorised into those meeting or not meeting Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) criteria. Psychometric measures of mood and appetite were used to assess MDD symptoms, problematic eating behaviours and food-addiction related symptoms. Twenty-three (23; 29%) MDD participants met the Yale criteria for food addiction.”
A prospective study on the link between weight-related self-stigma and binge eating: Role of Food Addiction and psychological distress
Daniel K. Ahorsu MPhil, Chung-Ying Lin PhD, Vida Imani MD, Mark D. Griffiths PhD, Jian-An Su MD, Janet D. Latner PhD, Rachel D. Marshall MA, Amir H. Pakpour PhD, Intl Jour Eat Dis Volume53, Issue3 March 2020, Pages 442-450, https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23219 Results: “There was no significant direct association between weight-related self-stigma and binge eating. However, Food Addiction and psychological distress significantly mediated the association between weight-related self-stigma and binge eating.”
A prospective study on the link between weight-related self-stigma and binge eating: Role of Food Addiction and psychological distress
Ahorsu, D. K., Lin, C. Y., Imani, V., Griffiths, M. D., Su, J. A., Latner, J. D., Marshall, R. D., & Pakpour, A. H. (2020). A prospective study on the link between weight-related self-stigma and binge eating: Role of Food Addiction and psychological distress. Int J Eat Disord, 53(3), 442-450. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23219 Excerpt: “These findings highlight the indirect association between weight-related self-stigma and binge eating via food addiction and psychological distress. Consequently, intervention programs targeting food addiction and psychological distress among adolescents may have significant positive effects on outcomes for weight-related self-stigma and binge eating.” Study linkhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30706243/
Neural correlates of inhibitory control in youth with symptoms of food addiction
Hardee, J. E., Phaneuf, C., Cope, L., Zucker, R., Gearhardt, A., & Heitzeg, M. (2020). Neural correlates of inhibitory control in youth with symptoms of food addiction. Appetite, 148, 104578. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104578 From the research article’s abstract: “Prior research has found that food addiction is associated with reward-related neural differences, but research has yet to examine whether there are also neural differences in inhibitory control. This may be particularly relevant during adolescence as it is a key developmental period where difficulties in inhibitory control are more prevalent. The Yale Food Addiction Scale is a self-report questionnaire that applies substance use disorder diagnostic criteria to certain foods that has also been adapted for children. Here we investigate the association between addictive-like eating and brain functioning during inhibitory control in youth. Seventy-six right-handed participants 8.2–17.8 years (44 male) were recruited. Participants performed a go/no-go task during functional magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children, after which they were categorized into two groups according to their scores (No Symptom Group = 0; YFAS-C Group: score ≥ 1). Inhibitory control was probed with a contrast of correct no-go versus go trials. An independent-samples t-test comparing groups revealed a significant difference in three primary clusters, all exclusively in the left hemisphere (No Symptom Group > YFAS-C Group): middle temporal gyrus/occipital gyrus, precuneus/calcarine sulcus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Specifically, the YFAS-C Group showed deactivation in all three clusters. Adolescents who endorse food addiction appear to show hypo-activation in response to the inhibitory control portion of a go/no-go task, which suggests possible inhibitory control difficulties.”
Food addiction
A key factor contributing to obesity? Meseri, R., & Akanalci, C. (2020). Food addiction: A key factor contributing to obesity? Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 25, 71. https://doi.org/10.4103/jrms.JRMS_971_19 From the research article’s abstract: “People may develop addiction to hyperpalatable foods, which may be a cause of obesity. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity among adolescents and the effect of food addiction on obesity. In this cross-sectional study, food addiction and obesity status of high school students were investigated. Among 17,000 10th and 11th grade students, assuming the design effect as 2.0, with obesity prevalence of 10%, with 3% error, and 95% confidence interval, at least 752 participants were included. Obesity was the dependent variable, whereas sociodemographic characteristics, body image, eating habits, and food addiction were the independent variables. Food addiction was assessed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Obesity was determined by age- and sex-specific body mass index (BMI) percentiles for adolescents < 18 years of age and BMI ≥ 30.0 for those aged ≥ 18. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0. After adjustment for age, sex, and other variables, the effect of food addiction on obesity was determined through logistic regression. P <0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Among adolescents (n = 874), 18.9% were food addict, 25.1% were overweight, and 12.1% were obese. After adjusted for age, sex, and other variables, food addiction significantly increased the risk of obesity (odds ratio: 1.9; 95% confidence interval: 1.167–3.335). Having a fragmented family, working mother, overweight father, and participants not knowing their weight correctly significantly increased obesity. While quarter of the adolescents had weight problems, one-fifth suffered from food addiction. After adjusting for confounders, food addiction significantly increased obesity. Identifying individuals with food addiction, providing treatment to overcome that, paying special attention to adolescents with obese parents or living in fragmented families, and providing support to both parents and adolescents could be useful in tackling obesity.”
Food addiction, eating addiction and eating disorders
Hauck, C., Cook, B., & Ellrott, T. (2020). Food addiction, eating addiction and eating disorders. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 79(1), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665119001162 From the review article’s abstract: “The concept of food addiction is currently a highly debated subject within both the general public and the scientific communities. The term food addiction suggests that individuals may experience addictive-like responses to food, similar to those seen with classic substances of abuse. An increasing number of studies have established the prevalence and correlates of food addiction. on.”
Are sweetened drinks a gateway to alcohol, opiate and stimulant addiction? Summary of evidence and therapeutic strategies
De Silva, P. N. (2019). Are sweetened drinks a gateway to alcohol, opiate and stimulant addiction? Summary of evidence and therapeutic strategies. Med Hypotheses, 135, 109469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2019.109469 From the theoretical review’s abstract: “Evidence from rat models show cross sensitisation between sweetened drinks, alcohol, opiates and stimulants. Therefore, it could be hypothesised that sweetened drinks could be a gateway to multiple substance abuse among humans via ‘alcopops’.”
Are sweetened drinks a gateway to alcohol, opiate and stimulant addiction? Summary of evidence and therapeutic strategies
De Silva, P. N. (2019). Are sweetened drinks a gateway to alcohol, opiate and stimulant addiction? Summary of evidence and therapeutic strategies. Med Hypotheses, 135, 109469. https://doi.org/10.1016/i.mehy.2019.109469 Review desilva2020 .pdf