“Food addiction” or “addictive eating” is not yet a disorder that can be diagnosed in a clinical setting. Yet, patients often ask health professionals about how to manage their addictive eating.
These health providers generally acknowledge their patients’ addictive eating behaviors but may be unsure of suitable treatments.
Food addiction is commonly assessed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale.
The science of addictive eating is still emerging, but researchers are increasingly noting addiction and reward pathways in the brain triggered by stress, heightened emotions, and mental illness are associated with the urge to overeat.
How common is it?
Many factors contribute to overeating. The abundance of fast food, junk food advertising, and the highly palatable ingredients of many processed foods can prompt us to eat whether we are hungry or not.
However, some people report a lack of control over their eating, beyond liking and wanting, and are seeking help for this.
Around one in six people (15-20%) report addictive patterns of eating or addictive behaviors around food.
While food addiction is higher among people with obesity and mental health conditions, it only affects a subset of these groups.
How can you tell if you have a problem?
Typically, food addiction occurs with foods that are highly palatable, processed, and high in combinations of energy, fat, salt, and/or sugar while being low in nutritional value. This might include chocolates, confectionery, takeaway foods, and baked products.
These foods may be associated with high levels of reward and may therefore preoccupy your thoughts. They might elevate your mood or provide a distraction from anxious or traumatic thoughts, and over time, you may need to eat more to get the same feelings of reward.
It often starts in childhood
Through our research exploring the experiences of adults, we found many people with addictive eating attribute their behaviors to experiences that occurred in childhood. These events are highly varied. They range from traumatic events to the use of dieting or restrictive eating practices, or are related to poor body image or body dissatisfaction.
Our latest research found addictive eating in teenage years is associated with poorer quality of life and lower self-esteem, and it appears to increase in severity over time. Children and adolescents tend to have fewer addictive eating behaviors, or symptoms, than adults. Of the 11 symptoms of the Yale Food Addiction Scale, children and adolescents generally have only two or three, while adults often have six or more, which is classified as severe food addiction.
How is it treated?
A large range of treatments is being trialed. These include:
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passive approaches such as self-help support groups.
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Trials of medications such as naltrexone and bupropion, which targets hormones involved in hunger and appetite and works to reduce energy intake
However, few of the available self-help support groups include involvement or input from qualified health professionals. While providing peer support, these may not be based on the best available evidence, with few evaluated for effectiveness.
Medications and bariatric surgery do involve health professional input and have been shown to be effective in achieving weight loss and reducing symptoms of food addiction in some people.
However, these may not be suitable for some people, such as those in the healthy weight range or with complex underlying health conditions. It’s also critical people receiving medications and surgery are counseled to make diet and other lifestyle changes.
HEALTHY LIFE!!
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