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Chocolate craving and disordered eating. Beyond the gender divide?
Julia M Hormes1, Natalia C Orloff1, C Alix Timko2
1Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Social Sciences 399, 1400 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12222, USA.
Appetite
|September 1, 2014
Summary
Chocolate craving is linked to disordered eating in women, but not men. Male chocolate cravers experienced more guilt but less disordered eating compared to non-cravers, suggesting gender differences in food cravings.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Nutrition Science
- Gender Studies
Background:
- Chocolate craving is frequently observed in women and linked to disordered eating behaviors.
- The prevalence of chocolate craving varies globally, with higher rates in North America, potentially due to eating disorder pathology.
- Limited research exists on the association between food cravings and disordered eating behaviors in men.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of gender and chocolate craving on attitudes toward chocolate, food cue responsiveness, body dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, and eating disorder pathology.
- To systematically assess how chocolate craving relates to disordered eating behaviors in both men and women.
- To explore potential gender-specific relationships between chocolate craving and disordered eating.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 645 undergraduate students (37.2% male).
- Participants completed self-report questionnaires on demographics, anthropometrics, food cravings, dietary attitudes and behaviors, and eating disorder/general psychopathology.
- Statistical analyses were performed to compare cravers and non-cravers across genders.
Main Results:
- Male chocolate cravers reported significantly more guilt related to craving compared to non-cravers.
- Conversely, male chocolate cravers exhibited significantly less dieting, lower dietary restraint, fewer weight fluctuations, and fewer eating disorder symptoms.
- The positive association between chocolate craving and disordered eating behaviors appears to be specific to women, particularly in North America.
Conclusions:
- The relationship between chocolate craving and disordered eating behaviors differs significantly between genders.
- Findings suggest that the link between chocolate craving and disordered eating may be a phenomenon primarily observed in women.
- Cultural and psychosocial factors likely play a crucial role in the etiology of food cravings, with gender-specific influences.