Food Addiction: Prevalence, Severity, and Impact on Vascular Stroke Risk Factors in a French Hospital-Based Sample

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally.
• Unhealthy diet is a known stroke risk factor, but disordered eating behaviors are under-researched in stroke patients.
• This study explores addictive-like eating behaviors and their link to vascular risk factors in stroke survivors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and severity of addictive-like eating behaviors in stroke patients.
• To investigate the association between these behaviors and major vascular risk factors for stroke.
• To inform secondary stroke prevention strategies.

Main Methods:

• 101 first-ever minor or moderate stroke patients completed self-report questionnaires.
• The Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) assessed addictive-like eating.
• Associations between food addiction (FA) symptoms and vascular risk factors (obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• 5% of patients met the diagnosis for food addiction (FA); 38.6% screened positive for at least one FA symptom.
• Dyslipidemia was associated with FA diagnosis and the severity of the addictive eating profile.
• The severity of specific FA symptoms (Time spent, Tolerance, Use despite adverse consequences) correlated with the number of vascular risk factors.

Conclusions:

• Addictive-like eating behaviors may play a significant role in the secondary prevention of stroke.
• Further research with larger, diverse samples is needed to understand these behaviors for personalized stroke prevention.
• Investigating addictive-like eating behaviors could enhance secondary stroke prevention strategies.