A Critical Examination of the Practical Implications Derived from the Food Addiction Concept

Meule, Adrian

doi:10.1007/s13679-019-0326-2

Cited by 49 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 83 publications

(76 reference statements)

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“…Therefore, it would be necessary to determine which therapeutic tools might be effective for the treatment of FA, especially in patients with BED. In this sense, further studies are needed to assess the extent to which patients with BED can benefit from other approaches and interventions based on the addictive model to improve treatment outcomes (Meule, ). However, it is a controversial point because, despite the neurobiological and clinical similarities between FA and addictive disorders, the consumption of food (unlike alcohol, substances, or gambling) is necessary for life, making it impossible to design a treatment based on total abstinence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This evidence suggests that FA could be evaluated by considering the behavioural and symptomatology patterns observed in other addictions, as captured in the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS; Gearhardt, Corbin, & Brownell, ). Nevertheless, the debate about FA vs. eating addiction vs. nonaddiction remains open (Meule, ). Although some researchers have postulated for an integration of FA into substance use disorders (Gordon et al, ), others argue that it would be within behavioural addictions (Albayrak, Wölfle, & Hebebrand, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is food addiction a predictor of treatment outcome among patients with eating disorder?

Romero

Agüera

Granero

et al. 2019

Euro Eating Disorders Rev

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Objectives:The study aimed to examine whether food addiction (FA) was associated with greater severity in both binge eating disorders (BED) and bulimia nervosa and, therefore, to determine if FA was predictive of treatment outcome.Method: Seventy-one adult patients with bulimia nervosa and BED (42 and 29, respectively) participated in the study. FA was assessed by means of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Results:The results confirmed a high prevalence of FA in patients with binge disorders (around 87%) and also its association with a greater severity of the disorder (i.e., related to an increased eating psychopathology and greater frequency of binge eating episodes). Although FA did not appear as a predictor of treatment outcome in general terms, when the diagnostic subtypes were considered separately, FA was associated with poor prognosis in the BED group. In this vein, FA appeared as a mediator in the relationship between ED severity and treatment outcome.Discussions: Our findings suggest that FA may act as an indicator of ED severity, and it would be a predictor of treatment outcome in BED but not in BN.Xandra Romero and Zaida Agüera shared first authorship.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is food addiction a predictor of treatment outcome among patients with eating disorder?

Romero

Agüera

Granero

et al. 2019

Euro Eating Disorders Rev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The adverse consequences of uncontrolled fat intake on the body metabolism have been documented [15,16]. This has implications in intervention modules for addressing this problem and promoting healthy lifestyles [17,18]. Yet, the understanding of fat addiction as a concept is still under evolution, and progress is being made to characterise and discern the psychology and physiology behind this condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fat Addiction: Psychological and Physiological Trajectory

2019

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Obesity has become a major public health concern worldwide due to its high social and economic burden, caused by its related comorbidities, impacting physical and mental health. Dietary fat is an important source of energy along with its rewarding and reinforcing properties. The nutritional recommendations for dietary fat vary from one country to another; however, the dietary reference intake (DRI) recommends not consuming more than 35% of total calories as fat. Food rich in fat is hyperpalatable, and is liable to be consumed in excess amounts. Food addiction as a concept has gained traction in recent years, as some aspects of addiction have been demonstrated for certain varieties of food. Fat addiction can be a diagnosable condition, which has similarities with the construct of addictive disorders, and is distinct from eating disorders or normal eating behaviors. Psychological vulnerabilities like attentional biases have been identified in individuals described to be having such addiction. Animal models have provided an opportunity to explore this concept in an experimental setting. This discussion sheds light on fat addiction, and explores its physiological and psychological implications. The discussion attempts to collate the emerging literature on addiction to fat rich diets as a prominent subset of food addiction. It aims at addressing the clinical relevance at the community level, the psychological correlates of such fat addiction, and the current physiological research directions.

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“…eating addiction, eating disorders, etc. ), and the role such phenomenon may play in health problems such as obesity (2–8) .…”

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confidence: 99%

Food addiction, eating addiction and eating disorders

2019

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The concept of food addiction is currently a highly debated subject within both the general public and the scientific communities. The term food addiction suggests that individuals may experience addictive-like responses to food, similar to those seen with classic substances of abuse. An increasing number of studies have established the prevalence and correlates of food addiction. Moreover, food addiction may be associated with obesity and disordered eating. Thus, intervening on food addiction may be helpful in the prevention and therapy of obesity and eating disorders. However, controversy exists about if this phenomenon is best defined through paradigms reflective of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) substance-related disorders (e.g. food addiction) or non-substance-related disorders (e.g. eating addiction) criteria. This review paper will give a brief summarisation of the current state of research on food addiction, a more precise definition of its classification, its differentiation from eating addiction and an overview on potential overlaps with eating disorders. Based on this review, there is evidence that food addiction may represent a distinct phenomenon from established eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder. Future studies are needed to further examine and establish orthogonal diagnostic criteria specific to food addiction. Such criteria must differentiate the patterns of eating and symptoms that may be similar to those of eating disorders to further characterise food addiction and develop therapy options. To date, it is too premature to draw conclusions about the clinical significance of the concept of food addiction.

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A Critical Examination of the Practical Implications Derived from the Food Addiction Concept

Cited by 49 publications

References 83 publications

Is food addiction a predictor of treatment outcome among patients with eating disorder?

Is food addiction a predictor of treatment outcome among patients with eating disorder?

Fat Addiction: Psychological and Physiological Trajectory

Food addiction, eating addiction and eating disorders

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