News

Food addiction & Mood disorders

Dates

on the July 30, 2018

Published in Psychiatry Res.

Collaborative research project led by Prof. Paul Brunault

Food addiction, in obese patients seeking bariatric surgery, is associated with higher prevalence of current mood and anxiety disorders and past mood disorders

Abstract

The current cross-sectional study investigates the prevalence of the food addiction (FA) phenotype and its association with psychiatric disorders in bariatric surgery candidates. It also investigates the eating behavior characteristics associated with FA and the association between FA and loss of control over specific foods high in sugar, salt and/or fat. We included 128 bariatric surgery candidates and we assessed FA (YFAS 2.0), mood and anxiety disorders, suicidality, eating disorders (current bulimia nervosa and current anorexia nervosa), alcohol and tobacco use disorders (MINI 5.0.0, beck depression inventory, AUDIT, Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence) and eating behavior (DEBQ). Prevalence of FA in our sample was 25%. FA was significantly associated with higher prevalence of current mood and anxiety disorders and past mood disorders, higher current suicidality but not with eating disorders and alcohol use disorder. FA was significantly associated with higher emotional eating, and with loss of control over consumption of foods high in fat, sugar and/or salt, but not of fruits, vegetables or grain products. Our results provide arguments for considering psychiatric disorders and suicidality in FA and for considering FA as an addictive disorder in obese patients, with many risk factors in common with other addictions.

Keywords

Addictive-like eating, Eating addiction, Emotional eating, Loss of control, Major depressive disorder, Obesity, Psychiatric disorders

Partners :
Contact :
Dr. Paul Brunault :