Food Addiction

Research is sparse regarding gender and racial differences in food addiction symptoms and the influence of emotions and social situations on overeating. This study examined undergraduates’ internal and external triggers on the decision to overeat and also food dependence scores using the Yale Food Addiction Scale. A paper-pencil survey was distributed to a convenience sample of 301 undergraduates. Participants (n = 284) were mostly female (70.42%) and race was reported as White (77.82%) and African American (22.18%). The General Linear Model Analysis of Variance was used to adjust for gender, race, and Body Mass Index [BMI]. For total food addiction symptom scores, significant differences were found by race with African Americans having higher scores (i.e.: more food dependence) (M = 2.36) than Whites (M = 1.90, p < .05). Gender was significant for body size satisfaction as females reported less satisfaction (M = 2.40) than males (M = -.097, p < .001). Females were more likely to report depression (Male: M =1.36; Female: M = 1.75, p < .05), stress (Male: M = 1.59, Female: M = 2.18, p < .001) and anxiety (Male: M = 1.40; Female: M = 1.75, p < .05) influenced overeating compared to males. Understanding gender, racial, social, and emotional cues that influence overeating may play an important role in prevention and treatment of excessive food consumption.

Background: Research on food addiction (FA) has been growing and increasing interest has been seen in comprehending its mechanisms and clinical and psychological correlates of this phenomena. This field of study is specially apply to understand obesity and eating behavior issues related to eating disorders (ED). Objectives: We performed a literature review that describe recent research using the updated version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0) or modified-YFAS (mYFAS 2.0), from the date of its publication. Methods: Search were performed in Web of Science, Pubmed and PsycNET databases for studies that used the YFAS 2.0 and mYFAS 2.0. Results: The studies (n = 53) investigated adaptation and validation of the scale in different cultures (n = 13), prevalence on nonclinical populations and representative samples (n = 5), food addiction in obesity samples (n = 11), in samples with ED and disordered eating (n = 10) and studies that investigated FA in association with other clinical and psychological variables (n = 14). Discussion: Studies with the YFAS 2.0 reveal higher prevalence of FA in different samples, and a great association between FA and BED, BN and obesity. Implications for diagnostic of this phenomena and the overlap between FA and other disorders are discussed. Conclusions: The field of FA remains an open subject and effort must be implied to understand the subjective experience of addiction related to eating and food.

Existe uma relação entre autocompaixão e adição à comida em mulheres com comportamentos alimentares disfuncionais? Is there a relationship between self-compassion and food addiction in women with dysfunctional eating behaviors? RESUMO Objetivo: Verificar a relação entre autocompaixão e adição à comida em mulheres com comporta-mento alimentar disfuncional. Métodos: Mulheres de um grupo de apoio completaram as escalas de compulsão alimentar, restrição cognitiva, autocompaixão, Escala de Adição à Comida de Yale versão modificada 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) e questionário de Hay para práticas compensatórias. Foram identificados a prevalência de adição à comida e sintomas segundo a YFAS. Para serem incluídas, as participantes deveriam atingir pontuação para compulsão alimentar e, para análises, foram divididas em função da presença de práticas compensatórias. O grupo foi analisado por meio de testes de correlação de Pear-son entre variáveis de interesse, e os grupos bulímico e compulsivo foram comparados com teste t de Student (p < 0,05; software JASP). Resultados: Participaram do estudo 190 mulheres. De acordo com a YFAS, 95,3% (n = 181) tinham adição à comida, e os escores da escala apresentaram correlação negativa com a autocompaixão e com a compulsão alimentar (p = 0,014 em ambas). Os níveis de autocompai-xão apresentaram correlação negativa com as questões #3, #5, #6, #8 e #9 da YFAS (p < 0,05). Conclu-sões: Este estudo traz dados para a discussão da necessidade de analisar como a autocrítica atrelada ao sofrimento de quem apresenta comportamento alimentar disfuncional afeta o preenchimento da escala, trazendo identificação com a noção de vício, já que esta é culturalmente aceita.

ABSTRACT Objective: To verify the relationship between self-compassion and food addiction in women with disordered eating behavior. Methods: Women from a support group completed the binge eating scale, cognitive restraint, self-compassion, modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0), and Hay's questionnaire for compensatory practices. The prevalence of "food addiction" and symptoms, according to YFAS, was identified. To be included, participants should achieve binge eating scores, and for analysis, they were divided according to the presence of compensatory practices. The group was analyzed using Pearson's correlation tests between variables of interest, and the bulimic and compulsive groups were compared with Student's t-test (p < 0.05; JASP software). Results: 190 women participated in the study. According to YFAS, 95.3% (n = 181) had food addiction, and the scale scores showed a negative correlation with self-compassion and binge eating (p = 0.014 for both). The levels of self-compassion showed a negative correlation with questions #3, #5, #6, #8 and #9 of YFAS (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study brings data to discuss the need to analyze how self-judgment linked to the suffering of the experience of those who show upset eating behavior, affects the scale filling, bringing identification with the notion of addiction since it is culturally accepted.

Objectives Difficulty in emotional regulation is an important component in the pathology of different types of addiction and its evaluation can be helpful in understanding and treating these difficulties. The purpose of this study is to evaluate emotional regulation in people with opioid dependence (heroin and opium), food addiction, and internet addiction compared to normal people. Methods This is a causal-comparative study. Participants were 120 eligible male addicts selected using a purposive sampling method and divided into four groups of 30 including drug addiction, food addiction, internet addiction, and control. Semi-structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis I disorders, Yale Food Addiction Scale, and Young's Internet Addiction Test were used to diagnose the addictions. Then the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) was completed. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used to analyze the collected data. Results Overall DERS score and the score of its subscales were higher in all three addiction groups compared to the control group, and this difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the three addiction groups in subscales of "unwillingness to accept certain emotional responses" and "difficulty engaging in goal-directed behavior", but a significant difference between the three addiction groups was observed in subscales of "difficulty controlling impulse", "lack of emotional awareness", "lack of access to strategies", "lack of emotional clarity", and overall DERS score (P<0.05). Conclusion Men with opioid dependence, internet addiction and food addiction have more difficulties in emotional regulation compared to their normal peers. Emotional regulation ability in men with internet addiction is greater than in those with food and opioid addictions.

Childhood and adolescence are sensitive periods of development, marked by high brain maturation and plasticity. Exposure to early life stress, such as social isolation, is able to prompt changes in sensitive brain circuitries , essentially in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system and increase the risk for addictive behaviors later in life. Post-weaning social isolation can stimulate the consumption of rewarding substances, like drugs of abuse and palatable foods. However, most studies analyze long periods of social isolation and very little is known about the effects of a brief social isolation in a sensitive period of development and its association with palatable food on the reward system sensitization. Furthermore, females are more susceptible to the reinforcing effect of drugs than males. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects of a short post-weaning social isolation combined with a free access to a chronic high sugar diet (HSD) on the dopaminergic system, oxidative status and behavioral response to an amphetamine-like drug in adulthood. We used female Wistar rats that were socially isolated from post-natal days (PD) 21 to 35 and received free access to a HSD until PD 60. On PD 65, animals were submitted to a challenge with diethylpropion (DEP), an amphetamine-like drug and different responses were analyzed: locomotor activity, immmunocontent of dopamine related proteins, and the oxidative status in the striatum, before and after the DEP challenge. We showed that a short post-weaning social isolation (SI) increased the locomotor response to DEP, when compared with previous saline administration. Social isolation also increased dopamine transporter, tyrosine hydroxylase, and decreased dopamine D2 receptor im-munocontent. Additionally, SI increased the overall oxidative status parameters after the challenge with DEP. Interestingly, the exposure to a HSD prevented the SI effects on locomotor response, but did not interfere in the dopaminergic parameters evaluated, despite having modified some oxidative parameters. This study showed for the first time that a short post-weaning social isolation was able to induce long-term changes in the striatal dopaminergic system and increased the response to psychostimulants. These results emphasize the importance of stressful experiences during a short period of development on programming susceptibility to psychostimulants later in life.