Wiss, D., & Brewerton, T. (2020). Separating the Signal from the Noise: How Psychiatric Diagnoses Can Help Discern Food Addiction from Dietary Restraint. Nutrients, 12(10).https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12102937 “…While there is disagreement regarding FA, it appears that much of the controversy pertains to the treatment (lacking data) rather than the existence of the problem (robust data). More specifically, nutrition interventions for individuals with FA and co-occurring ED characterized by high levels of dietary restraint are less clear than for individuals with FA and no history of restrictive ED. Individualized treatment might be helpful based on the existence of FA, but only after it has been determined that the FA signal represents an addiction to food (true positive), rather than a consequenceof dietary restraint, food insecurity or insufficiency, or other forms of deprivation or food-related neglect (false positive). Dismissing FA as a clinical entity is ill informed and not helpful. FA may warrant consideration as a distinct category in the DSM, which might lead to additional research at the individual and group level, as well as public health efforts to improve the national food environment. …” wiss2020 .pdf
Meeting of Minds around Food Addiction Insights from Addiction Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, and Neurosciences
Constant, A., Moirand, R., Thibault, R., & Val-Laillet, D. (2020). Meeting of Minds around Food Addiction: Insights from Addiction Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, and Neurosciences. Nutrients, 12(11), 3564. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12113564 Behaviorial Neuroscientists point of view: the DSM-5 [118] does not recognize FA in itself, but it identifies different forms of substance-related and addictive disorders (including gambling) that can be used as a reference framework for our discussion. In this context,if we accept the existence of FA, then the neurobiological characteristics of substance-related and addictive disorders should reveal common patterns between food and drug abuse. The point is that the FA construct must be supported by precise definitions, as well as dedicated neurobiological and neuroimaging studies. These definitions must be supportedby concrete data and not only by shortcuts based on analogies with obesity or food abuse. Even though we must assume that substance addiction always starts with substance use, not all obese and/or bingeing ED-subtype patients have FA, and not all “food addicts” are obese. All these data support the existence of a specific FA brain phenotype that can be detected innormal-weight, overweight, or obese individuals and that is characterized by anomalies in the reward and inhibitory control processes, with likely corollary consequences in the limbic/emotional and cognitive/attentional spheres (Figure 2). Even though a recent meta-analysis of fMRI studies defends an addiction model of obesity, characterized by reduced cognitive control and interoceptive brain responses [141], this vision is probably restricted to part of the obesity spectrum and cannot be generalized to all forms of obesity 10.3390@nu12113564 .pdf
Meeting of Minds around Food Addiction: Insights from Addiction Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, and Neurosciences
Constant A, Moirand R, Thibault R, Val-Laillet D. Meeting of Minds around Food Addiction: Insights from Addiction Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, and Neurosciences. Nutrients. 2020 Nov 20;12(11):3564. doi: 10.3390/nu12113564. PMID: 33233694; PMCID: PMC7699750. Review article
Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications
Wiss, D. A., Avena, N., & Gold, M. (2020). Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications. Nutrients, 12(11), 3521. htt s: doi.or 10.3390 nu12113521 Review wiss2020food .pdf
Ultraprocessed Food: Addictive, Toxic, and Ready for Regulation
Lustig, R. H. (2020). Ultraprocessed Food: Addictive, Toxic, and Ready for Regulation. Nutrients, 12(11), 3401. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113401 From the research article’s abstract: “Past public health crises (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, opioids, cholera, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), lead, pollution, venereal disease, even coronavirus (COVID-19) have been met with interventions targeted both at the individual and all of society. While the healthcare community is very aware that the global pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has its origins in our Western ultraprocessed food diet, society has been slow to initiate any interventions other than public education, which has been ineffective, in part due to food industry interference. This article provides the rationale for such public health interventions, by compiling the evidence that added sugar, and by proxy the ultraprocessed food category, meets the four criteria set by the public health community as necessary and sufficient for regulation—abuse, toxicity, ubiquity, and externalities (How does your consumption affect me?). To their credit, some countries have recently heeded this science and have instituted sugar taxation policies to help ameliorate NCDs within their borders. ”
The Clinical Utility of Food Addiction: Characteristics and Psychosocial Impairments in a Treatment-Seeking Sample
Oliveira, E., Kim, H. S., Lacroix, E., de Fatima Vasques, M., Durante, C. R., Pereira, D., Cabral, J. R., Bernstein, P. S., Garcia, X., Ritchie, E. V., & Tavares, H. (2020). The Clinical Utility of Food Addiction: Characteristics and Psychosocial Impairments in a Treatment-Seeking Sample. Nutrients, 12(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113388 From the research article’s abstract: “Little is known about the characteristics of individuals seeking treatment for food addiction (FA), and the clinical utility of FA has yet to be established. To address these gaps, we examined (i) the demographic, eating pathology, and psychiatric conditions associated with FA and (ii) whether FA is associated with psychosocial impairments when accounting for eating-related and other psychopathology. Forty-six patients seeking treatment for FA completed self-report questionnaires and semi-structured clinical interviews. The majority of the sample were women and self-identified as White, with a mean age of 43 years. Most participants (83.3%) presented with a comorbid psychiatric condition, most commonly anxiety and mood disorders, with a mean of 2.31 comorbid conditions. FA was associated with binge eating severity and anxiety symptoms, as well as psychological, physical, and social impairment.
Attributes of the food addiction phenotype within overweight and obesity
Schulte, E. M., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2020). Attributes of the food addiction phenotype within overweight and obesity. Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 26, 2043–2049. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-01055-7 From the research article’s abstract: “Purpose: Previous studies have demonstrated overlapping behavioral features between substance-use disorders and food addiction, the latter of which is particularly prevalent among individuals with overweight or obesity. However, the unique attributes of food addiction as a possible phenotype within overweight and obesity are not fully understood. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited participants (n = 46) with overweight or obesity, nearly half (n = 20) of whom met the criteria for food addiction based on the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) and examined responses to self-report questionnaires that indexed behavioral characteristics relevant to addictive disorders. Results: Individuals with food addiction exhibited significantly higher scores on the Palatable Eating Motives Scale overall score (p < .001) and subscales for coping (p < .001) and enhancement (p < .001) of emotions, Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire Emotional Eating subscale (p < .001), UPPS-P Impulsivity Scale negative urgency (p < .001) and lack of perseverance (p = .01) subscales, and the Food Craving Inventory overall score (p = .02) and subscales of cravings for sweets (p < .01) and fast food fats (p = .02).
Impact of Physical Activity and Weight Loss on Fat Mass, Glucose Metabolism, and Inflammation in Older African Americans with Osteoarthritis
McLeod A, Schiffer L, Castellanos K, DeMott A, Olender S, Fitzgibbon M, Hughes S, Fantuzzi G, Tussing-Humphreys L. Impact of Physical Activity and Weight Loss on Fat Mass, Glucose Metabolism, and Inflammation in Older African Americans with Osteoarthritis. Nutrients. 2020 Oct 28;12(11):3299. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113299 PMID: 33126555 Results show that an 8 week (24 session) PA plus weight loss intervention (F&S!+) in older, overweight and obese AAs with osteoarthritis can produce decreases in body fat and VAT that are significantly greater than the changes produced by the PA intervention (F&S!) alone. This finding is consistent with previous studies comparing the effects of PA versus PA plus weight loss on body fat and body fat distribution in older adults [37,38,47–49]. However, unlike previous studies, our findings are from a primarily African American cohort. Contrary to our hypothesis, the F&S!+ intervention was not superior in regard to improving inflammation or glucose metabolism-related biomarkers compared to F&S!. Nonetheless, within groups, we saw a significant reduction in fasting serum insulin and HOMA-IR in FNS!+, and a significant reduction in TNF-α in the F&S! group postintervention Study link
A narrative review of highly processed food addiction across the lifespan
Schiestl, E. T., Rios, J. M., Parnarouskis, L., Cummings, J. R., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2020). A narrative review of highly processed food addiction across the lifespan. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 106, 110152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110152 From the research article’s abstract: “Evidence is growing that highly processed (HP) foods (i.e., foods high in refined carbohydrates and fat) are highly effective in activating reward systems and may even be capable of triggering addictive processes. HP food addiction has been associated with negative outcomes, including higher body mass index (BMI), more frequent binge eating, greater failure in weight loss treatment trials, and poorer mental and physical health. Although most research on HP food addiction has been conducted using adult samples, research on this topic now spans across the life span beginning in utero and extending through older adulthood. HP food addiction and related reward-based changes are associated with negative outcomes at every life stage, which has important implications for developmentally tailored prevention and treatment efforts.
The combined effects of probiotics and restricted calorie diet on the anthropometric indices, eating behavior, and hormone levels of obese women with food addiction: a randomized clinical trial
Narmaki, E., Borazjani, M., Ataie-Jafari, A., Hariri, N., Doost, A. H., Qorbani, M., & Saidpour, A. (2022). The combined effects of probiotics and restricted calorie diet on the anthropometric indices, eating behavior, and hormone levels of obese women with food addiction: a randomized clinical trial. Nutritional Neuroscience, 25(5), 963–975. https://doi.org/10.1080/1028415X.2020.1826763 From the research article’s abstract: “Food addiction (FA) is an important contributor to obesity. Alterations in gut microbiota (GM) diversity and composition have also been proposed to play a pivotal role in obesity pathogenesis. This trial aimed to assess the effects of probiotic supplementation on the anthropometric indices, eating behavior, and hormone levels of obese women with FA. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted among obese women with FA. Participants (n = 62) received a restricted calorie diet (RCD) plus either probiotic, or placebo for 12 weeks. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical markers, eating behavior and appetite were assessed during the study period. Probiotics administration significantly reduced weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (WHR), body fat percentage (BFP), and trunk fat percentage (TFP) compared to the placebo group (p < 0.001).