Imperatori, C., Fabbricatore, M., Lester, D., Manzoni, G. M., Castelnuovo, G., Raimondi, G., & Innamorati, M. (2019). Psychometric properties of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.0 in an Italian non-clinical sample. Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 24(1), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0607-x From the research article’s abstract: “Purpose: To assess the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0) in an Italian non-clinical sample. Methods: 262 adults (184 women) were administered the Italian versions of the mYFAS 2.0, and questionnaires measuring binge eating severity, anxiety and depression symptoms, and emotional dysregulation. Results: 15 individuals (5.7%) met the criteria for a diagnosis of food addiction according to the mYFAS 2.0. Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis supported a single-factor solution for the mYFAS 2.0. The mYFAS 2.0 had good internal consistency (Ordinal α = 0.91), and convergent validity with binge eating severity (r = 0.67, p < 0.001), both anxiety (r = 0.31, p < 0.001) and depressive (r = 0.35, p < 0.001) symptoms, and difficulties in emotion regulation (r = 0.35, p < 0.001).
Psychometric properties of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.0 in an Italian non-clinical sample
Imperatori, C., Fabbricatore, M., Lester, D., Manzoni, G. M., Castelnuovo, G., Raimondi, G., & Innamorati, M. (2019). Psychometric properties of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.0 in an Italian non-clinical sample. Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 24(1), 37–45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0607-x From the research article’s abstract: “Purpose: To assess the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0) in an Italian non-clinical sample. Methods: 262 adults (184 women) were administered the Italian versions of the mYFAS 2.0, and questionnaires measuring binge eating severity, anxiety and depression symptoms, and emotional dysregulation. Results: 15 individuals (5.7%) met the criteria for a diagnosis of food addiction according to the mYFAS 2.0. Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis supported a single-factor solution for the mYFAS 2.0. The mYFAS 2.0 had good internal consistency (Ordinal α = 0.91), and convergent validity with binge eating severity (r = 0.67, p < 0.001), both anxiety (r = 0.31, p < 0.001) and depressive (r = 0.35, p < 0.001) symptoms, and difficulties in emotion regulation (r = 0.35, p < 0.001).
Systematic review of Food Addiction as measured with the Yale Food Addiction Scale: implications for the Food Addiction construct
Penzenstadler L, Soares C, Karila L, Khazaal Y. Systematic review of Food Addiction as measured with the Yale Food Addiction Scale: implications for the Food Addiction construct. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2019;17(6):526‐538. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X16666181108093520 The concept of Food Addiction attracts much interest in the scientific community. Research is mainly based on the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), a tool developed to assess Food Addiction. Substance use disorder criteria have been used to develop this scale. The concept of Food Addiction has not been established to this day although it can be grouped with other EDs such as BED. More research is needed to understand this behavior and the differences between Food Addiction and other EDs. The criteria for Food Addiction should be revisited in light of the concepts currently used to examine behavioral addictions. CN-17-526 .pdf
Food addiction distinguishes an overweight phenotype that can be reversed by low calorie diet
Guzzardi, M. A., Garelli, S., Agostini, A., Filidei, E., Fanelli, F., Giorgetti, A., Mezzullo, M., Fucci, S., Mazza, R., Vicennati, V., Iozzo, P., & Pagotto, U. (2018). Food addiction distinguishes an overweight phenotype that can be reversed by low calorie diet. European Eating Disorders Review, 26(6), 657–670. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2652 From the research article’s abstract: “We assessed brain activation in response to food cues using 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose-PET in 36 overweight women, stratified by low or high food addiction groups according to the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). Assessments were repeated after a 3-month diet. We found greater activation in thalamus, hypothalamus, midbrain, putamen, and occipital cortex (reward), but not in prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices (control/reward receipt) in the high-YFAS versus low-YFAS group. In high-YFAS subjects, orbitofrontal responsiveness was inversely related to YFAS severity and hunger rating, and positive associations were observed between regional brain activation and lipid intake. A 3-month diet abolished group differences in brain activation. Our data suggest that food addiction distinguishes an overweight phenotype that can be reversed by diet, opening to personalized strategies in obesity treatment.”
Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0: A dimensional approach to scoring
Schiestl, E. T., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2018). Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0: A dimensional approach to scoring. European Eating Disorders Review, 26(6), 605-617. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2648 From the research article’s abstract: “Objective: Assessment approaches for food addiction in younger samples have not been updated to reflect recently revised diagnostic approaches for addictive disorders. The aim of the current study is to develop a new dimensional approach to assess food addiction in adolescents that is psychometrically sound, developmentally appropriate, and reflective of the updated diagnostic criteria. Methods: The dimensional Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0 (dYFAS-C 2.0) and related measures were administered to 127 adolescents from the community in the United States. Endorsement rates for each question were reviewed, and the psychometric properties were evaluated. Results: Problem-focused symptoms had low endorsement rates and were excluded from the final version of the scale.
Addictive Eating and Its Relation to Physical Activity and Sleep Behavior
Li, J. T. E., Pursey, K. M., Duncan, M. J., & Burrows, T. (2018). Addictive Eating and Its Relation to Physical Activity and Sleep Behavior. Nutrients, 10(10), 1428. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101428 From the research article’s abstract: “The obesity epidemic has led to the exploration of factors contributing to its etiology. Addictive eating, physical activity, and sleep behaviors have all been independently associated with obesity, and recent research suggests plausible interrelationships between food addiction, physical activity, and sleep. This study aims to investigate the relationship between food addiction with physical activity and sleep behavior. Australian adults were invited to complete an online survey which collected information including: demographics, food addiction symptoms, physical activity, sitting time and sleep behavior items. The sample comprised 1344 individuals with a mean age of 39.8 ± 13.1 years (range 18–91), of which 75.7% were female.
Compulsive “grazing” and addictive tendencies towards food
Bonder, R., Davis, C., Kuk, J. L., & Loxton, N. J. (2018). Compulsive “grazing” and addictive tendencies towards food. Eur Eat Disord Rev, 26(6), 569-573. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2642 Excerpt: “Results indicated that addictive personality traits, reward-driven eating, and compulsive grazing each contributed unique variance to the YFAS symptom score. These findings provide novel insight into the association between a grazing pattern of overeating and food addiction, and emphasize that similar to traditional addiction disorders such as alcoholism, binge consumption is not the only pattern of compulsive intake.”
Food Addiction, in obese patients seeking bariatric surgery, is associated with higher prevalence of current mood and anxiety disorders and past mood disorders
Benzerouk, F., Gierski, F., Ducluzeau, P. H., Bourbao-Tournois, C., Gaubil-Kaladjian, I., Bertin, É., Kaladjian, A., Ballon, N., & Brunault, P. (2018). Food addiction, in obese patients seeking bariatric surgery, is associated with higher prevalence of current mood and anxiety disorders and past mood disorders. Psychiatry Res, 267, 473-479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.087 Excerpt: “In this study, we found that the FA phenotype, as assessed by the YFAS 2.0, is reliable and prevalent in a population of bariatric surgery candidates and that this phenotype was associated with higher prevalence of several psychiatric disorders…”
Development of the Highly Processed Food Withdrawal Scale
Schulte, E. M., Smeal, J. K., Lewis, J., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2018). Development of the Highly Processed Food Withdrawal Scale. Appetite, 131, 148-154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.09.013 From the research article’s abstract: “Food addiction posits that highly processed foods may be capable of triggering addictive-like symptoms in some individuals, including withdrawal. The current study developed and assessed the psychometric properties of the first self-report measure of highly processed food withdrawal. Individuals (n = 231) aged 19–68 (51.9% female) were recruited online through Amazon Mechanical Turk and reported cutting down on highly processed foods in the past year. The Highly Processed Food Withdrawal Scale (ProWS) was adapted from self-report measures of drug withdrawal and internal consistency and validity were evaluated. Paralleling the course of drug withdrawal, symptoms assessed by the ProWS were reported as most intense between days 2–5 during an attempt to cut down.
Body uneasiness is associated with food addiction symptoms: A cross-sectional study
Imperatori, C., Innamorati, M., Lamis, D. A., Farina, B., Fabbricatore, M., & Contardi, A. (2018). Body uneasiness is associated with food addiction symptoms: A cross-sectional study. European Eating Disorders Review, 26(6), 638–644. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2640 From the research article’s abstract: “The main aim of the present study was to investigate the association between food addiction (FA) symptoms and body uneasiness in a nonclinical sample, while controlling for potential confounding variables. Participants (N = 395; 123 men) were administered self-report measures assessing FA, binge eating severity, body uneasiness, depressive symptoms, emotion dysregulation and socio-demographic variables. Body uneasiness was independently associated with FA symptoms (standardized beta coefficients ranging between 0.41 [p < 0.001] and 0.22 [p < 0.001]), even when controlling for the presence of other variables. This finding suggests that body uneasiness may be a crucial symptom in the development and/or maintenance of FA symptoms.”