Evaluation of night eating syndrome and food addiction in esports players.

PURPOSE: Esports players' training takes long periods and they sit for a long time during competitions, which increases their risk of obesity and urges them to develop inappropriate eating behaviors. In this study, we aimed to investigate the night-eating syndrome and food addiction in esports players. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 248 esports players who were members of a university's esports community. The study data were collected using an online questionnaire consisting of the descriptive information form, Night Eating Questionnaire, and Yale Food Addiction Scale. RESULTS: The mean age of the sports players participating in the study was 22.19 ± 5.97 years. Of them, 55.6% had a normal body weight, 13.4% were obese, 54.4% played esports for 3 years or more, 13.3% experienced night eating syndrome, and 21.4% experienced food addiction. While the weekly duration of playing esports and skipping meals were associated with night eating syndrome, the weekly duration of playing esports and smoking were associated with food addiction (p < 0.05). Additionally, although there was no statistically significant difference, the risk of food addiction was 2.12 times higher in those with poor perceived sleep quality. CONCLUSION: We observed that night eating syndrome was very common in esports players and that these individuals were at risk in terms of food addiction. Since esports has a more sedentary structure than traditional sports, we suggest that esports players should be evaluated in terms of their unhealthy eating behaviors and risk of eating disorders.

Brand and addiction: A network analysis of scientific literature.

OBJECTIVE: The paper conducts a network analysis of the fragmented literature on brand and addiction. METHOD: A thematic map, thematic evolution, word cloud, co-citation analysis, and cooperation networks were utilized to identify brand addiction study trends and topics. RESULTS: The data show that marketing and psychiatry have interdisciplinary groupings and multidisciplinary publications. These groups reflect societal changes, particularly the shift from traditional to digital challenges. Fast food addiction is different from alcohol and cigarette addictions due to its ease and extensive marketing. The decline in internet and gambling addiction suggests a shift in priorities. CONCLUSIONS: This research helps researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in addiction prevention and intervention. The study also understands brand addiction and its effects on psychology, psychiatry, and management by providing insights into emerging topics, thematic maps and evolution of studies, collaboration opportunities, geographical distribution of studies, and more.

Prevalence and correlates of addictive eating behaviours in a large cohort of Australian adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Research shows highly palatable foods can elicit addictive eating behaviours or 'food addiction'. Early adolescence is theorised to be a vulnerable period for the onset of addictive eating behaviours, yet minimal research has examined this. This study explored the prevalence and correlates of addictive eating behaviours in a large early adolescent sample. METHODS: 6640 Australian adolescents (Mage = 12.7 ± 0.5, 49%F) completed an online survey. Addictive eating was measured with the Child Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS-C). Negative-binomial generalised linear models examined associations between addictive eating symptoms and high psychological distress, energy drink consumption, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, alcohol use, and cigarette use. RESULTS: Mean YFAS-C symptom criteria count was 1.36 ± 1.47 (of 7). 18.3% of participants met 3+ symptoms, 7.5% endorsed impairment and 5.3% met the diagnostic threshold for food addiction. All examined behavioural and mental health variables were significantly associated with addictive eating symptoms. Effects were largest for high psychological distress and cigarette use; with those exhibiting high psychological distress meeting 0.65 more criteria (95%CI = 0.58-0.72, p < 0.001) and those who smoked a cigarette meeting 0.51 more criteria (95%CI = 0.26-0.76, p < 0.001). High psychological distress and consumption of SSB and energy drinks remained significant when modelling all predictors together. CONCLUSION: In this large adolescent study, addictive eating symptoms were common. Further research should establish directionality and causal mechanisms behind the association between mental ill-health, alcohol and tobacco use, and addictive eating behaviours. Cross-disciplinary prevention initiatives that address shared underlying risk factors for addictive eating and mental ill-health may offer efficient yet substantial public health benefits.

Food Addiction and Lifestyle Habits among University Students.

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in our society, with a complex, multifactorial origin, and associated with greater morbidity and mortality in the population. Food addiction (FA) is a common disorder in overweight/obese people, which appears to be increasingly common in young people. This study analyzed food addiction in a group of young university students and to examine its association with body composition, quality of sleep, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity/sedentary habits, tobacco or alcohol consumption, and health status. A total of 536 undergraduate nursing students participated in a questionnaire that included the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS 2.0). Up to 6.4% of the students presented FA. Statistically significant associations were observed in the variables for sleep quality odds ratio (OR) 4.8 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.66-13.87), anxiety/depression OR 8.71 (95% CI: 3.93-19.27), body mass index (BMI) OR 8.32 (95% CI: 3.81-18.15) and sedentary lifestyle OR 2.33 (95% CI: 1.09-5.01). A predictive model was developed after binary logistic regression (area under the ROC curve 0.84 (95% CI: 0.77-0.91). Students with FA presented higher BMI values, worse sleep quality, anxiety or depression problems, and more time spent in sedentary behaviors.

Food Addiction and Tobacco Use Disorder: Common Liability and Shared Mechanisms.

As food addiction is being more commonly recognized within the scientific community, parallels can be drawn between it and other addictive substance use disorders, including tobacco use disorder. Given that both unhealthy diets and smoking are leading risk factors for disability and death, a greater understanding of how food addiction and tobacco use disorder overlap with one another is necessary. This narrative review aimed to highlight literature that investigated prevalence, biology, psychology, and treatment options of food addiction and tobacco use disorder. Published studies up to August 2020 and written in English were included. Using a biopsychosocial lens, each disorder was assessed together and separately, as there is emerging evidence that the two disorders can develop concurrently or sequentially within individuals. Commonalities include but are not limited to the dopaminergic neurocircuitry, gut microbiota, childhood adversity, and attachment insecurity. In addition, the authors conducted a feasibility study with the purpose of examining the association between food addiction symptoms and tobacco use disorder among individuals seeking tobacco use disorder treatment. To inform future treatment approaches, more research is necessary to identify and understand the overlap between the two disorders.

Meeting of Minds around Food Addiction: Insights from Addiction Medicine, Nutrition, Psychology, and Neurosciences.

This review, focused on food addiction (FA), considers opinions from specialists with different expertise in addiction medicine, nutrition, health psychology, and behavioral neurosciences. The concept of FA is a recurring issue in the clinical description of abnormal eating. Even though some tools have been developed to diagnose FA, such as the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) questionnaire, the FA concept is not recognized as an eating disorder (ED) so far and is even not mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders version 5 (DSM-5) or the International Classification of Disease (ICD-11). Its triggering mechanisms and relationships with other substance use disorders (SUD) need to be further explored. Food addiction (FA) is frequent in the overweight or obese population, but it remains unclear whether it could articulate with obesity-related comorbidities. As there is currently no validated therapy against FA in obese patients, FA is often underdiagnosed and untreated, so that FA may partly explain failure of obesity treatment, addiction transfer, and weight regain after obesity surgery. Future studies should assess whether a dedicated management of FA is associated with better outcomes, especially after obesity surgery. For prevention and treatment purposes, it is necessary to promote a comprehensive psychological approach to FA. Understanding the developmental process of FA and identifying precociously some high-risk profiles can be achieved via the exploration of the environmental, emotional, and cognitive components of eating, as well as their relationships with emotion management, some personality traits, and internalized weight stigma. Under the light of behavioral neurosciences and neuroimaging, FA reveals a specific brain phenotype that is characterized by anomalies in the reward and inhibitory control processes. These anomalies are likely to disrupt the emotional, cognitive, and attentional spheres, but further research is needed to disentangle their complex relationship and overlap with obesity and other forms of SUD. Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment must rely on a multidisciplinary coherence to adapt existing strategies to FA management and to provide social and emotional support to these patients suffering from highly stigmatized medical conditions, namely overweight and addiction. Multi-level interventions could combine motivational interviews, cognitive behavioral therapies, and self-help groups, while benefiting from modern exploratory and interventional tools to target specific neurocognitive processes.

Negative Affectivity and Emotion Dysregulation as Mediators between ADHD and Disordered Eating: A Systematic Review.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with disordered eating, especially addictive-like eating behavior (i.e., binge eating, food addiction, loss of control overeating). The exact mechanisms underlying this association are unclear. ADHD and addictive-like eating behavior are both associated with negative affectivity and emotion dysregulation, which we hypothesized are mediators of this relationship. The purpose of this systematic review was to review the evidence related to this hypothesis from studies assessing the relationship between childhood or adulthood ADHD symptomatology, negative affectivity, emotion dysregulation and addictive-like eating behavior. The systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. The literature search was conducted in PubMed and PsycINFO (publication date: January 2015 to August 2020; date of search: 2nd September 2020). Out of 403 potentially relevant articles, 41 were retained; 38 publications reported that ADHD and disordered eating or addictive-like eating behavior were significantly associated, including 8 articles that suggested a mediator role of negative affectivity or emotion dysregulation. Sixteen publications reported that the association between ADHD symptomatology and disordered eating or addictive-like eating behavior differed according to gender, eating behavior and ADHD symptoms (hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention). We discuss the practical implications of these findings and directions future research.

Improvement in Uncontrolled Eating Behavior after Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy Is Associated with Alterations in the Brain-Gut-Microbiome Axis in Obese Women.

BACKGROUND: Bariatric surgery is proven to change eating behavior and cause sustained weight loss, yet the exact mechanisms underlying these changes are not clearly understood. We explore this in a novel way by examining how bariatric surgery affects the brain-gut-microbiome (BGM) axis. METHODS: Patient demographics, serum, stool, eating behavior questionnaires, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were collected before and 6 months after laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG). Differences in eating behavior and brain morphology and resting-state functional connectivity in core reward regions were correlated with serum metabolite and 16S microbiome data. RESULTS: LSG resulted in significant weight loss and improvement in maladaptive eating behaviors as measured by the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). Brain imaging showed a significant increase in brain volume of the putamen (p.adj < 0.05) and amygdala (p.adj < 0.05) after surgery. Resting-state connectivity between the precuneus and the putamen was significantly reduced after LSG (p.adj = 0.046). This change was associated with YFAS symptom count. Bacteroides, Ruminococcus, and Holdemanella were associated with reduced connectivity between these areas. Metabolomic profiles showed a positive correlation between this brain connection and a phosphatidylcholine metabolite. CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery modulates brain networks that affect eating behavior, potentially through effects on the gut microbiota and its metabolites.

Fenotipos de comportamiento alimentario: diseño de una nueva escala multidimensional (EFCA) / Eating behavior phenotypes: design of a new multidimensional scale (EFCA)

Introducción: las características conductuales de las personas juegan un papel importante en la heterogeneidad de la res-puesta al tratamiento de la obesidad. Existe evidencia de que ciertos rasgos de la conducta ingestiva humana serían media-dores entre la susceptibilidad genética individual y el exceso de peso corporal. Los fenotipos de comportamiento alimentario pueden utilizarse como predictores de éxito terapéutico. Para mejorar la eficacia de los tratamientos de la obesidad es nece-sario contar con herramientas prácticas que evalúen dichos fe-notipos para realizar abordajes personalizados o de precisión. Objetivos: diseñar y evaluar las propiedades psicométricas de una escala autoadministrada destinada a identificar fenotipos de comportamiento alimentario. Materiales y métodos: 177 sujetos adultos participaron vo-luntariamente en un estudio de validación de una escala au-toadministrada para identificar fenotipos comportamentales en adultos (Escala de Fenotipos de Comportamiento Alimentario, EFCA). La misma consta de 16 ítems que evalúan creencias y actitudes personales de la conducta ingestiva medidos a partir de una escala de Likert de cinco valores (1. nunca a 5. siempre). Se identificaron cinco factores por análisis paralelo y se realizó un análisis factorial exploratorio por máxima verosimilitud con rotación varimax como método de extracción. Resultados: se incluyeron 177 adultos, 75,7% mujeres, 75% con exceso de peso con media de índice de masa corporal (IMC) 30,46 kg/m2 (DE=7,06). La estructura factorial mostró buen ajuste a los datos, con cargas factoriales superiores a .40 en to-dos los casos. El coeficiente Alpha de Cronbach indicó fiabilidad aceptable de .86 para la escala total y entre .73 y .88 para las subescalas obtenidas. Conclusiones: la EFCA es una escala con niveles aceptables de validez y confiabilidad para identificar fenotipos de comporta-miento alimentario en adultos.

The Transdiagnostic Nature of Cravings: Smoking Cessation and Food Craving in Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: Smoking cessation prior to pregnancy is strongly encouraged due to the adverse effects of tobacco use on the developing fetus, but appears to also increase risk of excess gestational weight gain (GWG). Smoking cessation has previously been shown to cause weight gain in non-pregnant individuals, in part due to an increase in food craving frequency. Food craving frequency in pregnancy is a known predictor of excess GWG, but has not yet been examined in relation to pre-pregnancy smoking status. This study sought to test the hypothesis that pre-pregnancy smoking cessation elevates excess GWG risk via an increase in food craving frequency. METHODS: Pregnant women (n = 82) completed measures of pre-pregnancy tobacco use and current general and specific food cravings. Gestational weight gain was calculated based on participant self-report of pre-pregnancy weight and data on weight prior to delivery culled from medical records. RESULTS: Pre-pregnancy tobacco use was associated with significantly greater food craving frequency in pregnancy (p = .05), specifically for high-fat and fast-foods (both p < .05), compared to women who did not smoke. Emotional and physiological aspects of cravings accounted for 35% of the variance in excess GWG (p < .03). CONCLUSIONS: Pre-pregnancy smoking appears predictive of food raving frequency in pregnancy and could thus contribute to excess GWG risk. Findings highlight the importance of incorporating strategies for managing cravings into behavioral interventions promoting healthy GWG for women endorsing pre-pregnancy tobacco use.

Prevalence of food addiction and association with stress, sleep quality and chronotype: A cross-sectional survey among university students.

AIMS: Food addiction (FA) is defined as an insatiable desire for the consumption of specific high-fat, high-sugar foods beyond the required energy needs for sustenance. The aims of this study were to determine FA prevalence and to assess associations between FA, stress, sleep quality and chronotype among university students. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey conducted among students from 8 major Lebanese universities. Students were randomly selected and requested to fill the questionnaire. 644 agreed to participate. Data were collected via a face-to-face interview conducted by 2 trained research assistants. PARTICIPANTS: University students above 18 years old and not presenting any cognitive or chronic illnesses, after signing a written consent form. MEASUREMENTS: In addition to sociodemographic data, all participants filled the following self-administered standardized and validated questionnaires: Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). FINDINGS: FA prevalence was 10.1% with a 95% confidence interval of 7.8-12.4%. 56.5% of all the participants had a poor quality of sleep, whereas 81.2% of the participants presenting FA experienced a poor sleep quality (versus 57.2% when no FA is present). 70.2% of the students presented an intermediate chronotype, 20.5% an evening chronotype and 8.7% a morning chronotype. Age, smoking status, BMI, PSS and PSQI remained significantly correlated to the continuous YFAS score in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings denote the importance of identifying and offering help to individuals presenting a FA because it is frequent among youth, associated to higher BMI and to smoking, seems to be a very intertwined and complex phenomenon coexisting with other neuropsychiatric problems, such as stress and poor sleep quality and therefore can have serious health implications.

Is all nonhomeostatic eating the same? Examining the latent structure of nonhomeostatic eating processes in women and men.

Nonhomeostatic eating is a complex (presumably) multidimensional construct associated with negative health outcomes. However, little research has examined the latent structure of nonhomeostatic eating processes, interrelationships among nonhomeostatic eating constructs, and differential associations between nonhomeostatic eating constructs and external correlates. This study adopted a construct validation approach to investigate these research questions in a large sample of undergraduate women and men (N = 998; 54.6% female). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on items from 8 measures representing numerous nonhomeostatic eating process constructs (e.g., binge eating, loss of control [LOC] over eating, "food addiction"). The 7-factor retained solution included the following: (1) emotional eating, (2) external eating, (3) LOC over eating, (4) overeating, (5) distress over nonhomeostatic eating, (6) hedonic hunger, and (7) food addiction. LOC over eating was the nonhomeostatic eating factor most strongly related to other factors (M rs = .71 and .65 in women and men, respectively). Factor score multiple regressions conducted separately by sex indicated that distress over nonhomeostatic eating was related to body mass index, depressive symptoms, and eating-related clinical impairment in both women and men. In women, food addiction demonstrated unique associations with depressive symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and clinical impairment, whereas overeating uniquely predicted these outcomes in men. This is the first comprehensive analysis of the latent structure of nonhomeostatic eating processes and associations with external correlates, and results suggest that LOC over eating, distress over nonhomeostatic eating, food addiction (in women), and overeating (in men) exhibited the strongest relations with psychosocial impairment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Food Addiction Symptoms and Amygdala Response in Fasted and Fed States.

Few studies have investigated the underlying neural substrates of food addiction (FA) in humans using a recognised assessment tool. In addition, no studies have investigated subregions of the amygdala (basolateral (BLA) and central amygdala), which have been linked to reward-seeking behaviours, susceptibility to weight gain, and promoting appetitive behaviours, in the context of FA. This pilot study aimed to explore the association between FA symptoms and activation in the BLA and central amygdala via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in response to visual food cues in fasted and fed states. Females (n = 12) aged 18-35 years completed two fMRI scans (fasted and fed) while viewing high-calorie food images and low-calorie food images. Food addiction symptoms were assessed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Associations between FA symptoms and activation of the BLA and central amygdala were tested using bilateral masks and small-volume correction procedures in multiple regression models, controlling for BMI. Participants were 24.1 ± 2.6 years, with mean BMI of 27.4 ± 5.0 kg/m2 and FA symptom score of 4.1 ± 2.2. A significant positive association was identified between FA symptoms and higher activation of the left BLA to high-calorie versus low-calorie foods in the fasted session, but not the fed session. There were no significant associations with the central amygdala in either session. This exploratory study provides pilot data to inform future studies investigating the neural mechanisms underlying FA.

Relationship between Food Dependence and Nicotine Dependence in Smokers: A Cross-Sectional Study of Staff and Students at Medical Colleges.

Background and objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between nicotine dependence and food dependence in smokers. Smoking and obesity are both serious public health problems that give rise to diseases and increased medical expenses. Nicotine dependence is one of the sources of difficulty in smoking cessation, while food dependence is one of the causes of obesity. Materials and Methods: We examined the data of 72 (smoking vs. nonsmoking) and 62 (nicotine dependence vs. no nicotine dependence) subjects among 321 staff and students at medical colleges in Kagawa and Okayama prefectures in Japan. Results: There was a significant difference in food dependence (except women) between the smoking and nonsmoking groups (total: smoking 4.7 ± 6.1, nonsmoking 2.1 ± 2.0, p = 0.0411; men: smoking 4.0 ± 4.7, nonsmoking 2.0 ± 2.1, p = 0.0490). There was also a significant difference in food dependence (except women) between the nicotine dependence and no nicotine dependence groups (total: nicotine dependence 4.6 ± 6.3, no nicotine dependence 2.0 ± 2.1, p = 0.0370; men: nicotine dependence 3.6 ± 4.8, no nicotine dependence 1.6 ± 1.8, p = 0.0489). Conclusion: The findings showed that the smoking group (and nicotine dependence group) had higher food dependence than the nonsmoking group (and no nicotine dependence group). Our results indicate an interdependence between nicotine and food dependences.

Ethical, Stigma, and Policy Implications of Food Addiction: A Scoping Review.

The concept of food addiction has generated much controversy. In comparison to research examining the construct of food addiction and its validity, relatively little research has examined the broader implications of food addiction. The purpose of the current scoping review was to examine the potential ethical, stigma, and health policy implications of food addiction. Major themes were identified in the literature, and extensive overlap was identified between several of the themes. Ethics sub-themes related primarily to individual responsibility and included: (i) personal control, will power, and choice; and (ii) blame and weight bias. Stigma sub-themes included: (i) the impact on self-stigma and stigma from others, (ii) the differential impact of substance use disorder versus behavioral addiction on stigma, and (iii) the additive stigma of addiction plus obesity and/or eating disorder. Policy implications were broadly derived from comparisons to the tobacco industry and focused on addictive foods as opposed to food addiction. This scoping review underscored the need for increased awareness of food addiction and the role of the food industry, empirical research to identify specific hyperpalatable food substances, and policy interventions that are not simply extrapolated from tobacco.

Food Addiction in Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients with Loss-of-Control Eating.

OBJECTIVE: Food addiction and binge eating share overlapping and non-overlapping features; the presence of both may represent a more severe obesity subgroup among treatment-seeking samples. Loss-of-control (LOC) eating, a key marker of binge eating, is one of the few consistent predictors of suboptimal weight outcomes post-bariatric surgery. This study examined whether co-occurring LOC eating and food addiction represent a more severe variant post-bariatric surgery. METHODS: One hundred thirty-one adults sought treatment for weight/eating concerns approximately 6 months post-sleeve gastrectomy surgery. The Eating Disorder Examination-Bariatric Surgery Version assessed LOC eating, picking/nibbling, and eating disorder psychopathology. Participants completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and the Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36). RESULTS: 17.6% met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Compared to those without food addiction, the LOC group with food addiction reported significantly greater eating disorder and depression scores, more frequent nibbling/picking and LOC eating, and lower SF-36 functioning. CONCLUSION: Nearly 18% of post-operative patients with LOC eating met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Co-occurrence of LOC and food addiction following sleeve gastrectomy signals a more severe subgroup with elevated eating disorder psychopathology, problematic eating behaviors, greater depressive symptoms, and diminished functioning. Future research should examine whether this combination impacts long-term bariatric surgery outcomes.

Psychology of addictive behaviors.

Having served as Associate Editor of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors (PAB) with three distinguished editors, Dr. Nancy Petry, Dr. Stephen Maisto, and Dr. Howard Shaffer, the author learned from the very best how to work with authors and reviewers to publish cutting-edge papers that will have a strong and sustained impact on the field. The author is grateful for their mentoring and the opportunity to apply what she has learned as Interim Editor of PAB, albeit under the untimely circumstances of Dr. Petry's death from cancer in July 2018. The author is to continue Dr. Petry's vision of PAB as one of the few journals to cover the full range of addictions, including behavioral addictions such as gambling, excessive Internet use, online gaming, and food addiction. An upcoming special issue of PAB, edited by Dr. Catherine Stanger and Dr. John Roll, will honor the broad and lasting impact of Dr. Petry's research program in multiple areas in the field of addiction: contingency management, behavioral economics, and gambling behavior, to name just a few. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychometric properties of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2 0 in a large Brazilian sample

Objective: The field of food addiction has attracted growing research attention. The modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0) is a screening tool based on DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorders. However, there is no validated instrument to assess food addiction. Methods: The mYFAS 2.0 has been transculturally adapted to Brazilian Portuguese. The data for this study was obtained through an anonymous web-based research platform: participants provided sociodemographic data and answered Brazilian versions of the the mYFAS 2.0 and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). Analysis included an assessment of the Brazilian mYFAS 2.0's internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and convergent validity in relation to BIS-11 scores. Results: Overall, 7,639 participants were included (71.3% females; age: 27.2±7.9 years). The Brazilian mYFAS 2.0 had adequate internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89). A single factor solution yielded the best goodness-of-fit parameters for both the continuous and categorical version of the mYFAS 2.0 in confirmatory factor analysis. In addition, mYFAS 2.0 correlated with BIS-11 total scores (Spearman's rho = 0.26, p < 0.001) and subscores. Conclusion: The Brazilian mYFAS 2.0 demonstrated adequate psychometric properties in our sample; however, future studies should further evaluate its discriminant validity.

Compulsive "grazing" and addictive tendencies towards food.

Evidence suggests that palatable foods can promote an addictive process akin to drugs of abuse. To date, research in the field of food addiction has focused largely on binge eating as a symptom of this condition. The present study investigated relationships between food addiction and other patterns of overeating, such as compulsive grazing-a behaviour with high relevance to bariatric surgery outcomes. Adults between the ages of 20 and 50 years (n = 232) were recruited for the study. Participants completed questionnaires to assess various eating behaviours and related personality measures. Regression analysis employed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) as the dependent variable. Results indicated that addictive personality traits, reward-driven eating, and compulsive grazing each contributed unique variance to the YFAS symptom score. These findings provide novel insight into the association between a grazing pattern of overeating and food addiction, and emphasize that similar to traditional addiction disorders such as alcoholism, binge consumption is not the only pattern of compulsive intake.