According to a poll published in January 2023, one in eight
Americans between 50-80 show signs of food addiction. The poll was conducted by
the National Poll on Healthy Aging at the University of Michigan.
There were 2,163 participants surveyed online or via phone. A
modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale, named Yale Addiction Scale
2.0, was used to rate their addiction. The Yale Food Addiction Scale was
created by Ashley Gearhardt, a University of Michigan psychologist, to specifically
assess the signs of addictive-like eating behavior. Gearhardt said 13 questions
were chosen because they map out the diagnostic criteria for substance abuse
disorders that are used to diagnose substance addictions. The original version uses
25 questions.
“Questions like loss of control over intake, withdrawal,
intense cravings. In this case, we apply them to the intake of highly processed
foods (e.g., cookies, candies, fast food, soda, salty snacks),” Gearhardt
said.
The participants were asked to report on their experiences
with sweets, starches, salty snacks, fatty foods and sugary drinks within the
past year. Any other foods that don’t fall in those categories, but caused difficulty
for the participant, was included as well.
Out of the 13 questions, these are the three most participants
experienced:
·
I had such strong urges to eat certain foods
that I couldn’t think of anything else. 24% reported this occurred once a week.
·
I tried and failed to cut down on or stop eating
certain foods. 19% reported this occurred two to three times a week.
·
If I had emotional problems because I hadn’t
eaten certain foods, I would eat them. 17% reported this occurred once a week.
The poll implicates highly processed foods can be addictive
because of the release of dopamine triggered in the brain at levels that can be
compared to nicotine and alcohol. The cravings can be hard to resist and could
cause withdrawals.
More than one in ten of the participants met the criteria for
food addiction. 27% of participants self-reported as overweight. The stigma
that eating unhealthily will make you overweight is not true for everyone. Weight
gain is not the only concern of ingesting the foods frequently. Nutrition-poor
diets can lead to chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and
cancer.
The poll found 18% of women age 50-64 were more likely to
meet criteria for food addiction to highly processed foods versus 8% in men. Of
the women, 43% self-reported having fair/poor mental health. Of the men, that
number was almost half at 23%.
Food addiction can be identified by a health care professional using the Yale Food Addiction Scale during health care visits.