Moving beyond the “eating addiction” versus “food addiction” debate: Comment on Schulte et al. (2017)
Section snippets
The role of ingested substances
In support of the substance-based food addiction model, Schulte et al., 2017a, Schulte et al., 2017b cite evidence for the key role played by ingestion of food in the development of addictive-like eating. They note that the ingestion or absorption of a specific rewarding substance is a defining feature shared by substance use disorders and addictive-like eating, whereas behavioural addictions typically lack an ingested substance. The instrument most frequently used to operationalize
Beyond the “eating addiction” versus “food addiction” debate
The question of how to conceptualize addictive-like eating has often been framed as a debate between two perspectives: substance based “food addiction” and behavioural “eating addiction” (Hebebrand et al., 2014; Schulte et al., 2017). Narrowly framing the question of how best to conceptualize addictive-like eating by contrasting these two models may overlook other potentially valid ways to conceptualize addictive-like eating. At least three other conceptualizations of addictive-like eating have
Future directions
To move toward a valid conceptualization of addictive-like eating, we must generate predictions - ideally falsifiable - to test the theories of eating addiction and food addiction models. Specifically, research is needed to determine to what degree the construct of addictive-like eating holds incremental clinical utility over and above existing eating disorder diagnoses, and to elucidate the mechanisms that drive addictive-like eating.
As a first step toward examining these questions,
Conclusions
The main arguments advanced by Schulte et al., 2017a, Schulte et al., 2017b in support of a substance-based food addiction model—i.e., the important roles played by behaviour and ingested substances– are nonspecific. That is, these arguments apply equally well to behavioural addictions and other mental disorders, including eating disorders. The existing evidence of differential addictive potential of foods is preliminary and insufficient to validate the food addiction model. To support such a
Author note
This work was supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS), Montreal, QC, and by Mitacs Globalink, Canada.
Conflicts of interest
None.
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2021, Obesity Research and Clinical PracticeCitation Excerpt :However, this perception can reveal more of a disturbed eating attitude, than a proper clinical condition [11,71–73]. As information about obesity on social media, and spread by health professionals, have consistently increased in the past decades, this propaganda might reflect into the fear of “getting fat”, avoidance of certain foods and self-imposed restriction of foods that can be understood as “forbidden” and “addictive” even by normal-weight nonclinical population [10,72]. The social stigma of obesity might also explain the appeal of a cultural fight against “obesogenic” foods and might reflect the fear of general population to develop an addictive-like behavior in relation to food.
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2021, Eating BehaviorsCitation Excerpt :Polarizing debate surrounds the concept of food addiction (FA; Lacroix, Tavares, & von Ranson, 2018), with perspectives ranging from enthusiastic acceptance (Davis et al., 2011), to viewing it as an inappropriate medicalization of hedonic eating behaviour (Finlayson, 2017).
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2019, AppetiteCitation Excerpt :Finally, although we refrained from aligning ourselves with any one perspective on addictive-like eating and considered multiple interpretations of our findings, complete theoretical neutrality is impossible for any researcher to achieve, particularly in the context of polarizing debate. For this reason, we call for additional original qualitative and quantitative research as well as replications by independent investigators to guard against experimenter allegiance effects (Lacroix et al., 2018). Future qualitative and quantitative research involving clinical and non-clinical populations may clarify whether addictive-like eating contributes incremental clinical utility beyond existing eating disorder diagnoses, and whether the eating pattern itself explains distress beyond what is experienced as a function of anticipated or experienced weight gain.
“There is no way to avoid the first bite”: A qualitative investigation of addictive-like eating in treatment-seeking Brazilian women and men
2019, AppetiteCitation Excerpt :The controversial construct of addictive-like eating has received increasing attention in recent years (Meule, 2015), generating a great deal of theoretical debate (e.g., Lacroix, Tavares, & von Ranson, 2018; Schulte, Potenza, & Gearhardt, 2018).
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