Latner, J. D., Puhl, R. M., Murakami, J. M., & O’Brien, K. S. (2014). Food addiction as a causal model of obesity. Effects on stigma, blame, and perceived psychopathology. Appetite, 77, 79–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.03.004 From the research article’s abstract: “The present study examined the impact of the food-addiction model of obesity on weight stigma directed at obese people. Participants (n = 625) were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions. They were asked to read either a food-addiction explanatory model of obesity or a nonaddiction model, and subsequently read a vignette describing a target person who met the characteristics of one of these models and was either obese or of normal weight. Questionnaires assessed participants’ stigmatization and blame of targets and their attribution of psychopathology toward targets. Additional questionnaires assessed stigma and blame directed toward obese people generally, and personal fear of fat. A manipulation check revealed that the food-addiction experimental condition did significantly increase belief in the food-addiction model. Significant main effects for addiction showed that 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.
Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012
Ogden, C. L., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Flegal, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of childhood and adult obesity in the United States, 2011-2012. JAMA, 311(8), 806–814. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.732 From the research article’s abstract: “Importance: More than one-third of adults and 17% of youth in the United States are obese, although the prevalence remained stable between 2003-2004 and 2009-2010. Objective: To provide the most recent national estimates of childhood obesity, analyze trends in childhood obesity between 2003 and 2012, and provide detailed childhood obesity trend analyses among adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: Weight and height or recumbent length were measured in 9120 participants in the 2011-2012 nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Main Outcomes and Measures: In infants and toddlers from birth to 2 years, high weight for recumbent length was defined as weight for length at or above the 95th percentile of the sex-specific Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts.
Addicted to palatable foods: comparing the neurobiology of Bulimia Nervosa to that of drug addiction
Hadad, N. A., & Knackstedt, L. A. (2014). Addicted to palatable foods: comparing the neurobiology of Bulimia Nervosa to that of drug addiction. Psychopharmacology, 231(9), 1897–1912. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3461-1 From the review article’s abstract: “Similar neurobiological features are present following administration of drugs and bingeing on palatable food, especially sugar. Specifically, both disorders involve increases in extracellular dopamine (DA), D1 binding, D3 messenger RNA (mRNA), and ΔFosB in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Animal models of BN reveal increases in ventral tegmental area (VTA) DA and enzymes involved in DA synthesis that resemble changes observed after exposure to addictive drugs. Additionally, alterations in the expression of glutamate receptors and prefrontal cortex activity present in human BN or following sugar bingeing in animals are comparable to the effects of addictive drugs. The two disorders differ in regards to alterations in NAc D2 binding, VTA DAT mRNA expression, and the efficacy of drugs targeting glutamate to treat these disorders. Although additional empirical studies are necessary, the synthesis of the two bodies of research presented here suggests that BN shares many neurobiological features with drug addiction. While few Food and Drug Administration-approved options currently exist for the treatment of drug addiction, pharmacotherapies developed in the future, which target the glutamate, DA, and opioid systems, may be beneficial for the treatment of both BN and drug addiction.”
A Qualitative Study of Binge Eating and Obesity From an Addiction Perspective
Curtis, C., & Davis, C. (2014). A qualitative study of binge eating and obesity from an addiction perspective. Eat Disord, 22(1), 19-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2014.857515 From the qualitative study’s abstract: “Findings from this study demonstrate that food addiction can occur in obese individuals with and without BED.”
Dopamine signaling in Food Addiction: role of dopamine D2 receptors
Baik, J. H. (2013). Dopamine signaling in Food Addiction: role of dopamine D2 receptors. BMB Rep, 46(11), 519-526. https://doi.org/10.5483/bmbrep.2013.46.11.207 Review Study link
Is food addiction a valid phenomenon through the lens of the DSM-5?
Pai, N., Vella, S. L., & Richardson, K. (2014). Is food addiction a valid phenomenon through the lens of the DSM-5? Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(3), 216-218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867413512384 From the research article’s abstract: “The concept of food addiction (FA) continues to gain traction with support from many researchers. This letter is written in response to the claim that FA is overhyped in the media with weak scientific evidence. We believe there is sufficient scientific evidence to support the acknowledgment of FA in the DSM-5 and to further investigate its potential existence. We agree that more research is needed; however, we also believe it is important to consider FA as a possible diagnosis so that we can offer effective treatment options rather than doubting its existence and not offering potentially beneficial therapies.”
Attentional and motor impulsivity interactively predict ‘food addiction’ in obese individuals
Meule, A., de Zwaan, M., & Müller, A. (2017). Attentional and motor impulsivity interactively predict ‘food addiction’ in obese individuals. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 72, 83–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2016.10.001 From the research article’s abstract: “Impulsivity is a multifaceted construct and constitutes a common risk factor for a range of behaviors associated with poor self-control (e.g., substance use or binge eating). The short form of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-15) measures impulsive behaviors related to attentional (inability to focus attention or concentrate), motor (acting without thinking), and non-planning (lack of future orientation or forethought) impulsivity. Eating-related measures appear to be particularly related to attentional and motor impulsivity and recent findings suggest that interactive effects between these two facets may play a role in eating- and weight-regulation. One-hundred thirty-three obese individuals presenting for bariatric surgery (77.4% female) completed the BIS-15 and the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) 2.0, which measures addiction-like eating based on the eleven symptoms of substance use disorder outlined in the fifth version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Sixty-three participants (47.4%) were classified as being ‘food addicted’. Scores on attentional and motor impulsivity interactively predicted ‘food addiction’ status:
Food Addiction: Its Prevalence and Significant Association with Obesity in the General Population
Pedram, P., Wadden, D., Amini, P., Gulliver, W., Randell, E., Cahill, F., Vasdev, S., Goodridge, A., Carter, J. C., Zhai, G., Ji, Y., & Sun, G. (2013). Food addiction: its prevalence and significant association with obesity in the general population. PLoS One, 8(9), e74832. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074832 From the research article’s abstract: “Background: ‘Food addiction’ shares a similar neurobiological and behavioral framework with substance addiction. However whether, and to what degree, ‘food addiction’ contributes to obesity in the general population is unknown. Objectives: to assess 1) the prevalence of ‘food addiction’ in the Newfoundland population; 2) if clinical symptom counts of ‘food addiction’ were significantly correlated with the body composition measurements; 3) if food addicts were significantly more obese than controls, and 4) if macronutrient intakes are associated with ‘food addiction’. Design: A total of 652 adults (415 women, 237 men) recruited from the general population participated in this study. Obesity was evaluated by Body Mass Index (BMI) and Body Fat percentage measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. ‘Food addiction’ was assessed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale and macronutrient intake was determined from the Willet Food Frequency Questionnaire. Results:
Is Obesity an Addiction?
Kenny, P. J. (2013). The food addiction. Scientific American, 309(3), 44–49. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0913-44 From the research article: “Obesity, it seems, is not caused by a lack of willpower. And it is not always caused by an imbalance in hormones. In some cases at least, obesity may be caused by hedonic overeating that hijacks the brain’s reward networks. Like addictive drugs, overeating creates a feedback loop in the brain’s reward centers—the more you consume, the more you crave, and the harder it is for you to satisfy that craving. But does that make hedonic eating an addiction? Drugs of abuse, such as morphine, stimulate the brain’s reward systems the way food does. Yet the similarities do not end there. When morphine is injected into the striatum of rats, it triggers bingelike overeating, even in rats that have been fed to satiety. This response shows that morphine and other opiates mimic the effects of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) such as endorphins that are naturally produced in the brain to stimulate feeding behaviors.
Is Obesity an Addiction?
Kenny, P. J. (2013). The food addiction. Scientific American, 309(3), 44–49. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0913-44 From the feature article’s text: “The more you consume, the more you crave, and the harder it is for you to satisfy that craving. obesity may be caused by hedonic overeating that hijacks the brain’s reward networks.”