Food Addiction – Obese

On behalf of the Journal of obesity and eating disorders, as Editor-in-Chief, it is my distinct honour and privilege to inform you that, our journal running in 5^th volume with 2 issues by welcoming Analytical Society to our journal. As Editor-In-Chief it is my great pleasure and honour to welcome you to the Journal of obesity and eating disorders.

Food Addiction (FA) is based on the fact that similar behaviors are found and identical neurological pathways are activated in both food intake and psychoactive substance use. FA could explain the difficulties with the control of food consumption, failures in attempts to reduce food intake and the inability to abstain or reduce specific type of food. Excessive sugar, fat or salt content in processed food could be significant components of FA due to the activation of the reward circuit in the same way as by other psychoactive substances. The prevalence and the role of FA in obesity remain unclear and need to be evaluated.

http://www.imedpub.com/submissions/obesity-eating-disorders.html

Our Journal editorial board member found a relatively high prevalence of FA[food addiction] among a population of patients with obesity and seeking for a conservatory weight loss treatment. Due to the close relationship between FA and ED[eating disorders] we found, clinicians should carefully assess specific addictive eating patterns in patients with ED as well as in patients with obesity. They also should keep in mind that patients suffering from FA might experience worse clinical conditions and symptoms than patients without FA.

For these patients, FA symptoms should be a target of specific psychotherapeutic interventions as used for substance-related disorders (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy, motivational interviewing, motivational enhancement therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, family therapies and pharmacotherapy). Abstinence from or reduction of addictive’s substances (e.g., highly palatable foods) and behaviours (e.g., binge eating) may be necessary although a harm reduction strategy may be useful. In addition to that, a systematically investigation of cognitive restrictions among patients with obesity and FA might be helpful .Due to their tendency to lack confidence with their interoceptive awareness, reconnecting food addict patients with their inner body sensations could be a strategy to ease the severity of FA.

Best Regards

Laura Gray

Senior Editor

Journal of obesity and eating disorders