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. 2019 Jul;29(7):2071-2077.
doi: 10.1007/s11695-019-03805-8.

Food Addiction in Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients with Loss-of-Control Eating

Valentina Ivezaj  1 , Ashley A Wiedemann  2 , Jessica L Lawson  2 , Carlos M Grilo  2   3
Affiliations

Food Addiction in Sleeve Gastrectomy Patients with Loss-of-Control Eating

Valentina Ivezaj et al. Obes Surg. 2019 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Food addiction and binge eating share overlapping and non-overlapping features; the presence of both may represent a more severe obesity subgroup among treatment-seeking samples. Loss-of-control (LOC) eating, a key marker of binge eating, is one of the few consistent predictors of suboptimal weight outcomes post-bariatric surgery. This study examined whether co-occurring LOC eating and food addiction represent a more severe variant post-bariatric surgery.

Methods: One hundred thirty-one adults sought treatment for weight/eating concerns approximately 6 months post-sleeve gastrectomy surgery. The Eating Disorder Examination-Bariatric Surgery Version assessed LOC eating, picking/nibbling, and eating disorder psychopathology. Participants completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), and the Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36).

Results: 17.6% met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Compared to those without food addiction, the LOC group with food addiction reported significantly greater eating disorder and depression scores, more frequent nibbling/picking and LOC eating, and lower SF-36 functioning.

Conclusion: Nearly 18% of post-operative patients with LOC eating met food addiction criteria on the YFAS. Co-occurrence of LOC and food addiction following sleeve gastrectomy signals a more severe subgroup with elevated eating disorder psychopathology, problematic eating behaviors, greater depressive symptoms, and diminished functioning. Future research should examine whether this combination impacts long-term bariatric surgery outcomes.

Keywords: Bariatric surgery; Binge eating; Disordered eating; Food addiction; Obesity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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