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TOWARD: A metabolic health intervention that improves food addiction and binge eating symptoms
TOWARD: A metabolic health intervention
Food addiction is gaining recognition as a significant clinical and public health concern due to its adverse effects on metabolic health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life. One promising approach to managing food addiction involves therapeutic carbohydrate reduction (TCR), which has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing symptoms based on scores from the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale (mYFAS) 2.0. This study by Saner et al. (2025) presents a new telemedicine-based intervention tailored for an employee wellness program, built around the TOWARD framework. TOWARD includes text-based communication, online interaction, wellness coaching, asynchronous education and community support, Real-time biofeedback, remote monitoring, and dietary modification (TCR focused). Participants in this program showed a 40.7% reduction in food addiction symptoms and a 34.7% decrease in binge eating symptoms. Beyond these improvements, the intervention also led to enhanced metabolic health, weight loss, reduced medication needs (resulting in lower costs), and better mental health outcomes. These findings suggest that a structured, digital wellness model emphasizing carbohydrate reduction may be an effective and scalable tool for addressing food addiction in workplace settings. [NPID: Binge eating, low-carbohydrate diet, food addiction, therapeutic carbohydrate reduction, ketogenic diet]
Year: 2025
