Abstract
Background: Our previous study of 29 obese food addiction (FA) patients found that FA is associated with lipid profiles and hormones which may be a factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and insulin resistance (IR). However, there is currently no data available regarding the relationship between FA symptoms and metabolic characteristics of CVD and IR in the general population. We designed this study to investigate the correlation between FA symptoms with lipid profiles and IR in men and women of the general Newfoundland population.Methods: 710 individuals (435 women and 275 men) recruited from the general Newfoundland population were used in analysis. FA symptoms were evaluated using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). Glucose, insulin, HDL, LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides levels were measured. IR was evaluated using the homeostatic model of assessment (HOMA). Participants were grouped by sex and menopausal status. Age, physical activity, calories and total % body fat were controlled.Results: Partial correlation analysis revealed that in men, YFAS symptom counts were significantly correlated with HOMA-β (r = 0.196, p = 0.021), triglycerides (r = 0.140, p = 0.025) and inversely correlated with HDL (r = −0.133, p = 0.033). After separating by menopausal status, pre-menopausal women exhibited no correlations and post-menopausal women had a significantcorrelation with triglycerides (r = 0.198, p = 0.016).Conclusion: FA is significantly correlated with several markers of metabolic disturbance in men and to a lesser extent, post-menopausal women, in the general population. Further research is required to explain sex specific associations and elucidate any potentially causal mechanisms behind this correlation.
Highlights
Obesity rates have been climbing for the last three decades and according to a report from Statistics Canada, in Newfoundland (NL), 31% of adult women and 27.3% of men are obese [1, 2]
In addition to the behavioral and neurological evidence supporting the role of addictive food tendencies in health, we have recently found that there are different hormonal characteristics between food addicted (FA) and non-food addicted (NFA) individuals
We have previously discovered that obese food addicts had lower levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), tumor necrotic factor alpha (TNF-α) and amylin but higher levels of prolactin compared to non-food addicted obese individuals [19]
Summary
Obesity rates have been climbing for the last three decades and according to a report from Statistics Canada, in Newfoundland (NL), 31% of adult women and 27.3% of men are obese [1, 2] It follows that the population of NL exhibit some of the highest rates of obesity related health issues in Canada such as type II diabetes (TIID) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) which makes obesity research within this population so vital. One issue that highlights this intricate balance of factors is that of an addictive tendency toward food This is characterized by an obsessive consumption of foods known to be highly palatable with corresponding activation of the bodies reward systems and significant difficulty controlling this behavior [10]. We designed this study to investigate the correlation between FA symptoms with lipid profiles and IR in men and women of the general Newfoundland population
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
