Sugar, Ultra-Processed Foods & Mental Health (Adult Population)

Addiction is becoming more and more understood scientifically. Even though the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) does not list food addiction as a disorder, study on the subject has expanded significantly over the past 20 years. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), created to quantify food addiction by evaluating DSM-5 criteria for drug use disorder in the context of food intake, is used extensively in this research. Gearhardt et al. (2023) present a recent analysis of two systematic reviews, including 281 research from 36 countries, which revealed that 14% of adults and 12% of children worldwide have YFAS-measured food addiction. However, the degree of suggested addiction in children is unprecedented. This claimed prevalence is comparable to the levels of addiction documented for other legal drugs in adults (14% for alcohol and 18% for tobacco). YFAS found that the prevalence of food addiction approaches 32% in obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery and above 50% in patients with binge eating disorders in populations with clearly established clinical diagnoses. According to the YFAS, food addiction is linked to key elements of addiction, including mood dysregulation, impulsivity, reward-related brain dysfunction, worsened physical and mental health, and decreased quality of life. The authors conclude that convergent and consistent evidence supports the validity and clinical applicability of food addiction; nevertheless, it is less clear what kinds of foods are addictive. Despite the ambiguity, labeling certain foods as addictive may encourage study and change public perceptions of regulation.