Ferrario, C. R. (2017). Food Addiction and Obesity. Neuropsychopharmacology, 42(1), 361. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2016.221 From the review article’s text: “Obesity-prone rats have greater excitability of medium spiny neurons in the NAc core prior to the development of obesity. Consumption of junk food produces an upregulation of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors.”
Reward sensitivity and food addiction in women
Loxton, N. J., & Tipman, R. J. (2017). Reward sensitivity and food addiction in women. Appetite, 115, 28–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.10.022 From the research article’s abstract: “Sensitivity to the rewarding properties of appetitive substances has long been implicated in excessive consumption of palatable foods and drugs of abuse. Previous research focusing on individual differences in reward responsiveness has found heightened trait reward sensitivity to be associated with binge-eating, hazardous drinking, and illicit substance use. Food addiction has been proposed as an extreme form of compulsive-overeating and has been associated with genetic markers of heightened reward responsiveness. However, little research has explicitly examined the association between reward sensitivity and food addiction. Further, the processes by which individual differences in this trait are associated with excessive over-consumption has not been determined. A total of 374 women from the community completed an online questionnaire assessing reward sensitivity, food addiction, emotional, externally-driven, and hedonic eating. High reward sensitivity was significantly associated with greater food addiction symptoms (r = 0.31).
A graduated food addiction classification approach significantly differentiates obesity among people with type 2 diabetes
Raymond, K. L., Kannis-Dymand, L., & Lovell, G. P. (2018). A graduated food addiction classification approach significantly differentiates obesity among people with type 2 diabetes. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(14), 1781-1789. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105316672096 From the research article’s abstract: “This study examined a graduated severity level approach to food addiction classification against associations with World Health Organization obesity classifications (body mass index, kg/m2) among 408 people with type 2 diabetes. A survey including the Yale Food Addiction Scale and several demographic questions demonstrated four distinct Yale Food Addiction Scale symptom severity groups (in line with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) severity indicators): non-food addiction, mild food addiction, moderate food addiction and severe food addiction. Analysis of variance with post hoc tests demonstrated each severity classification group was significantly different in body mass index, with each grouping being associated with increased World Health Organization obesity classifications. These findings have implications for diagnosing food addiction and implementing treatment and prevention methodologies of obesity among people with type 2 diabetes.”
Validation of the French Version of the DSM-5 Yale Food Addiction Scale in a Nonclinical Sample
Brunault, P., Courtois, R., Gearhardt, A. N., Gaillard, P., Journiac, K., Cathelain, S., Reveillere, C., & Ballon, N. (2017). Validation of the French Version of the DSM-5 Yale Food Addiction Scale in a Nonclinical Sample. Can J Psychiatry, 62(3), 199-210. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743716673320 From the conclusions: “We validated a psychometrically sound French version of the YFAS 2.0 in a nonclinical population, in both its symptom count and diagnostic versions.”
German version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0: Prevalence and correlates of ‘food addiction’ in students and obese individuals
Meule, A., Müller, A., Gearhardt, A. N., & Blechert, J. (2017). German version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0: Prevalence and correlates of ‘food addiction’ in students and obese individuals. Appetite, 115, 54–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.10.003 From the research article’s abstract: “The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) measures addiction-like eating of palatable foods based on the seven diagnostic criteria for substance dependence in the fourth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). Most recently, a new version of the YFAS has been developed based on the revised eleven diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder in DSM-5. This YFAS 2.0 was translated into German and used among other measures in a study with 455 university students (89% female) and in a study with 138 obese patients presenting for bariatric surgery (78% female). In the student sample, the one-factorial structure of the English version could be replicated and internal consistency was α = 0.90. The diagnostic threshold for ‘food addiction’ was met by 10% of the sample
Treatment for Anhedonia: A Neuroscience Driven Approach
Craske, M. G., Meuret, A. E., Ritz, T., Treanor, M., & Dour, H. J. (2016). Treatment for Anhedonia: A Neuroscience Driven Approach. Depression and Anxiety, 33(10), 927–938. doi:10.1002/da.22490 Anhedonia – background info Study link
The brain, obesity and addiction: an EEG neuroimaging study
De Ridder, D., et al. (2016). The brain, obesity and addiction: an EEG neuroimaging study. Sci Rep, 6, 34122. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep34122 From the neuroimaging study’s abstract: “We show that food addiction shares common neural brain activity with alcohol addiction. This food addiction and non-food-addiction obesity dichotomy demonstrates there is at least 2 different kinds of obesity.”
Preliminary validation of the Malay Yale Food Addiction Scale: Factor structure and item analysis in an obese population
Swarna Nantha, Y., Abd Patah, N. A., & Ponnusamy Pillai, M. (2016). Preliminary validation of the Malay Yale Food Addiction Scale: Factor structure and item analysis in an obese population. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 16, 42-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2016.08.001 From the research article’s abstract: “Background and aims: Researchers suggest that the rise in obesity rates may be explained by the addictive properties of certain types of food. In view of the growing obesity epidemic in South-East Asia, there is a need for a psychometric tool to assess the concept of food addiction amongst high-risk populations. The objective of this study is to translate the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) into the Malay language and subsequently validate its use in an obese population. Methods: Between the year 2014 and 2015, a total of 250 obese adults were assessed for food addiction utilizing the Malay version of the YFAS at a primary care clinic. An assessment of the psychometric properties of the scale was performed to determine the factor structure, item statistics and internal consistency of the scale. Results:
Food Addiction in Bulimia Nervosa: Clinical Correlates and Association with Response to a Brief Psychoeducational Intervention
Hilker, I., Sánchez, I., Steward, T., Jiménez-Murcia, S., Granero, R., Gearhardt, A. N., Rodríguez-Muñoz, R. C., Dieguez, C., Crujeiras, A. B., Tolosa-Sola, I., Casanueva, F. F., Menchón, J. M., & Fernández-Aranda, F. (2016). Food Addiction in Bulimia Nervosa: Clinical Correlates and Association with Response to a Brief Psychoeducational Intervention. European Eating Disorders Review, 24(6), 482–488. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2473 From the research article’s abstract: “Food addiction (FA) has been examined in different populations. Although high FA levels are associated with greater eating disorder severity, few studies have addressed how FA relates to treatment outcome. Goals: The study aims (1) to determine whether a brief intervention for bulimia nervosa (BN) reduces FA diagnosis or severity compared with baseline and (2) to determine if FA is predictive of treatment outcome. Method: Sixty-six female BN patients participated in the study. The Yale Food Addiction Scale was administered at two time points: prior to and following a 6-week intervention. The number of weekly binging/purging episodes, dropout and abstinence from bulimic behaviour were used as primary outcome measures. Results:
Assessing the psychometric properties of two food addiction scales
Lemeshow, A. R., Gearhardt, A. N., Genkinger, J. M., & Corbin, W. R. (2016). Assessing the psychometric properties of two food addiction scales. Eating behaviors, 23, 110–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2016.08.005 From the research report’s abstract: “The food-addiction model produced less stigma, less blame, and lower perceived psychopathology attributed to the target described in vignettes, regardless of the target’s weight.”