Cassin, S., Leung, S., Hawa, R., Wnuk, S., Jackson, T., & Sockalingam, S. (2020). Food Addiction Is Associated with Binge Eating and Psychiatric Distress among Post-Operative Bariatric Surgery Patients and May Improve in Response to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Nutrients, 12(10), 2905. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12102905 Conclusion: “The findings of this study contribute to the body of literature suggesting that bariatric surgery improves food addiction symptomatology. Patients who continue to experience food addiction after undergoing surgery likely have a more severe form of food addiction that is characterized by greater binge eating characteristics and psychosocial distress. The results of this preliminary study suggest that Tele-CBT may result in short-term improvements in food addiction symptomatology among the subgroup of patients who continue to experience food addiction following surgery.”
Food Addiction and Eating Addiction: Scientific Advances and Their Clinical, Social and Policy Implications
Carter, A., Hardman, C. A., & Burrows, T. (2020). Food Addiction and Eating Addiction: Scientific Advances and Their Clinical, Social and Policy Implications. Nutrients, 12(5), 1485. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051485 “While Food Addiction is not yet recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), there are many similarities with substance use disorders, and a growing acceptance that some forms of obesity should be treated as a Food Addiction.” — From the Abstract
Treating binge eating and Food Addiction symptoms with low-carbohydrate Ketogenic diets: a case series
Carmen, M., Safer, D. L., Saslow, L. R., Kalayjian, T., Mason, A. E., Westman, E. C., & Sethi Dalai, S. (2020). Treating binge eating and food addiction symptoms with low-carbohydrate Ketogenic diets: a case series. Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-020-0278-7 Conclusions: “Although the absence of control cases precludes conclusions regarding the specific role of ketogenic diets versus other forms of dietary restriction, this is the first report to demonstrate the feasibility of prescribing a ketogenic diet for patients with obesity who report binge eating and food addiction symptoms. Further research should seek to reproduce the observed effects in controlled trials as well as to explore potential etiologies.”
Symptoms of ‘Food Addiction’ in binge eating disorder using the Yale Food Addiction Scale version 2.0
Carter, J. C., Van Wijk, M., & Rowsell, M. (2019). Symptoms of ‘food addiction’ in binge eating disorder using the Yale Food Addiction Scale version 2.0. Appetite, 133, 362-369. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.11.032 “In fact, 92% of the BED group met YFAS 2.0 criteria for at least mild ‘food addiction’ compared to only 6% of the NED group.” – From the Abstract
Measurement Invariance of the Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 Across Gender and Racial Groups
Carr, M. M., Schulte, E. M., Saules, K. K., & Gearhardt, A. N. (2018). Measurement Invariance of the Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 Across Gender and Racial Groups. Assessment, 27(2), 1073191118786576. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191118786576 Conclusion: “Results increase confidence in the generalizability of findings using the mYFAS 2.0 and indicate that observed differences in prevalence rates, such as the higher rates of food addiction observed for women and Hispanic individuals, are likely due to true differences in the population rather than due to measurement bias.”
Food Addiction and associations with mental health symptoms: a systematic review with meta-analysis
Burrows, T., Kay-Lambkin, F., Pursey, K., Skinner, J., & Dayas, C. (2018). Food addiction and associations with mental health symptoms: a systematic review with meta-analysis. J Hum Nutr Diet, 31(4), 544-572. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12532 Conclusions: “A significant, positive relationship exists between food addiction and mental health symptoms, although the results of the present study highlight the complexity of this relationship.”
Brain on Fire: Incentive Salience, Hedonic Hot Spots, Dopamine, Obesity, and Other Hunger Games
Cameron, J. D., Chaput, J. P., Sjödin, A. M., & Goldfield, G. S. (2017). Brain on Fire: Incentive Salience, Hedonic Hot Spots, Dopamine, Obesity, and Other Hunger Games. Annual Review of Nutrition, 37, 183-205. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064855 Conclusion “This review examines human feeding behavior in light of psychological motivational theory and highlights the importance of midbrain dopamine (DA). Prospective evidence of both reward surfeit and reward deficit pathways to increased body weight are evaluated, and we argue that it is more complex than an either/or scenario when examining DA’s role in reward sensitivity, eating, and obesity. The Taq1A genotype is a common thread that ties the contrasting models of DA reward and obesity; this genotype related to striatal DA is not associated with obesity class per se but may nevertheless confer an increased risk of weight gain. We also critically examine the concept of so-called food addiction, and despite growing evidence, we argue that there is currently insufficient human data to warrant this diagnostic label. The surgical and pharmacological treatments of obesity are discussed, and evidence is presented for the selective use of DA-class drugs in obesity treatment.”
The Neurobiology of “Food Addiction” and Its Implications for Obesity Treatment and Policy
Carter, A., Hendrikse, J., Lee, N., Yücel, M., Verdejo-Garcia, A., Andrews, Z. B., & Hall, W. (2016). The Neurobiology of “Food Addiction” and Its Implications for Obesity Treatment and Policy. Annu Rev Nutr, 36, 105-128. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-071715-050909 “There is a growing view that certain foods, particularly those high in refined sugars and fats, are addictive and that some forms of obesity can usefully be treated as a Food Addiction.” — From the Abstract
Food Addiction in adults seeking weight loss treatment. Implications for psychosocial health and weight loss
Brunault, P., Salamé, E., Jaafari, N., Courtois, R., Réveillère, C., Silvain, C., Benyamina, A., Blecha, L., Belin, D., & Ballon, N. (2015). Why do liver transplant patients so often become obese? The addiction transfer hypothesis. Med Hypotheses, 85(1), 68-75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2015.03.026 Conclusion: “Findings suggest that individuals attempting to lose weight while combating symptoms of food addiction may be especially prone to eating-related pathologies, internalized weight bias, and body shame. Importantly, findings provide evidence that food addiction may undermine efforts to lose weight. The pathology associated with addiction (e.g., tolerance, withdrawal) could make the adoption of more healthful eating habits especially difficult.”