Food Addiction Mediates the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Body Mass Index in Taiwan Young Adults

Abstract

Perceived stress is the degree of stress experienced by an individual in the face of a stressor. Studies have shown that stress affects emotions, leads to behavioral changes, and is likely to trigger physical illnesses. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), stress is classified as a health epidemic of the 21st century; in the meantime, the percentage of adults being overweight and with obesity has continued to grow after reaching 38.9% in 2016. Hence, it is unclear whether perceived stress has become a factor affecting progressive obesity and whether food addiction (FA) is an intermediate factor. The purposes of this study were to (1) investigate the FA prevalence among young adults in Taiwan, (2) understand correlations among perceived stress, FA, and the body mass index (BMI), and (3) determine the potential mediating effect of FA due to perceived stress on BMI. The study was conducted through an online questionnaire, composed of a basic data form, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). We received 1994 responses and analyzed 1780 valid samples. Results showed that 231 participants met the FA criteria, accounting for 12.98%. Perceived stress was positively correlated with BMI (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.013~0.088, p-value 7.8 × 10−3), and perceived stress was positively associated to FA (95% CI 1.099~1.154, p-value < 10−4), which was also positively correlated with BMI (95% CI 0.705~2.176, p-value 10−4). FA significantly mediated the relationship between PSS and BMI with an indirect effect size of 25.18% and 25.48% in the group that scored 31~40 on the PSS. The study concluded that among people seeking weight loss, proper stress management and screening for FA in order to apply related therapies may be an effective method for weight management.

Perceived Stress and Increased Food Consumption during the ‘Third Wave’ of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Spain

“…Perceived stress interferes with eating behavior and can lead to increased food consumption [ 39 ]—this includes increased consumption, especially of foods high in calories and rich in sugar, fats, and salt [ 18 , 19 , 40 ]. In this study, 36.1% of respondents expressed that they had increased their frequency of consumption of some foods, while 14.1% were unsure whether they had done so.…”

“…Addictive behaviors include binge eating without subsequent compensation, continuous eating, even in small amounts (snacking), and the consumption of foods high in calories, sugars and fats, which can interfere with the limbic system of the brain. These behaviors, which can lead to an increase in body weight and thus body mass index (BMI), fall under the umbrella of “emotional eating” (i.e., the consumption of food in response to negative emotions without following hunger cues) [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

The Prevalence of ‘‘Food Addiction’’ during the COVID-19 Pandemic Measured Using the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) among the Adult Population of Poland

“…Additionally, it was shown that among people up to 25 years of age there were statistically significantly fewer symptoms of FA than in other age groups. Most publications focus on the diagnosis of FA among the youth or student population [67][68][69]. One study found that the rate of FA and the number of symptoms in women aged 18-34, 35-54 and over 55 years of age were significantly higher than in men in the same age groups, and there was no significant difference between the groups [70].…”

Prevalence of Food Addiction during Covid-19 Pandemic in Amman, Jordan: A Cross Sectional Study

“…Stress can disrupt eating behaviour and encourage eating high palatable foods [14]. Therefore, the activation of the reward circuit; hence the mesolimbic dopaminergic system secretes dopamine in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) [16,25].…”