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How Prevalent is "Food Addiction"?
1Department of Psychology I, University of Würzburg Würzburg, Germany.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|November 9, 2011
Summary
Food addiction, characterized by addiction-like eating patterns, is more prevalent in obese individuals and those with binge eating disorder. However, it doesn't fully explain the obesity epidemic.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Nutritional Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Hyperpalatable foods may drive addiction-like eating patterns, linking to binge eating disorders.
- Understanding the prevalence of food addiction is crucial for public health and treatment strategies.
- Research on addictive eating patterns, especially in diverse age groups, is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current literature on assessing food addiction prevalence.
- To examine the prevalence of addictive eating patterns in children, adolescents, and adults.
- To explore the relationship between food addiction and different weight categories.
Main Methods:
- This mini-review synthesizes findings from recent studies on food addiction assessment.
- It analyzes the prevalence rates reported in studies involving children, adolescents, and adults.
- The review compares food addiction prevalence across various BMI categories.
Main Results:
- Food addiction prevalence is elevated in obese individuals and significantly higher in those with binge eating disorder.
- Despite high prevalence in some groups, food addiction alone does not account for the obesity epidemic.
- Significant rates of food addiction are observed even in individuals who are under-, normal-, or overweight.
Conclusions:
- Food addiction is a relevant factor in obesity and binge eating disorder, but not the sole cause of the obesity epidemic.
- Addictive eating patterns are present across all weight categories, necessitating further research into non-obese populations.
- Future research should focus on identifying factors associated with addictive eating in individuals without obesity.
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