The contribution of an addictive process to anorexia nervosa (AN) is an area of growing interest. Yet, little is known about how the food addiction concept (FA) may be of interest in understanding AN. This study investigates prevalence of FA diagnostic and its association with markers of severity in individuals with AN. We conducted a retrospective study in a sample of 73 patients with AN. We assessed FA with the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0, depressive and anxiety disorders, impulsivity (Beck Depression Inventory, STAI, BIS-11) and eating behavior (BITE, EDE-Q). Prevalence of FA in our sample was 47%. FA was significantly associated and positively correlated with the binge-eating/purging subtype of AN, higher levels of depression, anxiety and greater eating psychopathology. FA was not associated with level of impulsivity nor leptin and IGF-1 blood levels. The relationship between FA severity and AN severity was mediated by the severity of binge eating behaviors. Our results suggest that the presence of FA may represent a more severe variant of AN. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the etiologic process between FA and AN.
Keywords: Food addiction; addictive-like eating; anorexia nervosa; eating disorder; loss of control; mediation analysis; severity.
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