Are you a “food addict?”

Cinzia Cuneo 24 settembre, 2013 mangiare sano, dimagrire

A new research from Newfoundland’s Memorial University suggests that one in 20 Canadians is a “food addict”, as determined by the Yale Food Addiction Scale.

The Yale Food Addiction Scale consists of 27 statements describing eating habits such as: “I eat to the point where I feel physically ill,” and “I find myself constantly eating certain foods” and “I need to eat more and more to get the feeling I want.”

Participants were considered “food addicts” if they showed three or more symptoms within the past year, coupled with “clinical significant impairment or distress.”

The study recruited 652 Newfoundlanders (415 women and 237 men) and assessed their eating habits using the scale. Participants’ body mass index and body fat percentage was also assessed, as well as their macronutrient intake.

The study found the following:

• Women were twice as likely to be diagnosed with food addiction than men (6.7 per cent versus 3 per cent)
• The prevalence of food addiction significantly increased with obesity status, regardless of how body fat was measured
• Food-addicted participants weighed 11.7 kilograms more than non-food addicted participants, had 8.2 per cent greater body fat and carried 4.6 higher BMI

Is food an addiction? What do you think?

Autori

Cinzia Cuneo

Italiana di nascita e canadese d'adozione, Cinzia ha deciso di coniugare le sue competenze professionali e la sua passione per la buona tavola sviluppando un servizio per aiutare i numerosi «aventi bisogno» a riprendere il controllo della loro alimentazione. Così è nata SOSCuisine. Ingegnere di formazione al Politecnico di Torino, Cinzia ha conseguito un Master's Degree in scienze applicate all'École Polytechnique de Montréal.