Could Impulsive Personality Disorders Increase the Risk of Food Addiction?

Researchers discovered that people with impulsive personalities tend to be more likely to suffer from food addictions, also known as compulsive patterns of over-eating.

"The notion of food addiction is a very new one, and one that has generated a lot of interest," said James MacKillop, the study's principal investigator and associate professor of psychology in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, via a press release. "My lab generally studies alcohol, nicotine and other forms of drug addiction, but we think it's possible to think about impulsivity, food addiction and obesity using some of the same techniques."

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately one-third of the U.S. population is obese, putting them at a greater risk for stroke, heart attack, type 2 diabetes and even certain types of cancer. With these health issues, an annual medical cost for overweight and obese individuals came in at approximately $147 billion in 2008, alone.

For the study, researchers used two different scales--the Yale Food Addiction Scale and the UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale-- to measure food addiction and impulsivity among 233 patients. These results were then compared with each participant's body mass index.

"Our study shows that impulsive behavior was not necessarily associated with obesity, but impulsive behaviors can lead to food addiction," MacKillop concluded.

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Appetite.