Food addiction beliefs amongst the lay public: What are the consequences for eating behaviour?

Ruddock, HK and Hardman, CA ORCID: 0000-0002-0744-6019 (2017) Food addiction beliefs amongst the lay public: What are the consequences for eating behaviour? Current Addiction Reports, 4 (2). pp. 110-115.

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Abstract

<h4>Purpose of review</h4>The current paper reviews recent research on perceptions of food addiction in the lay public. It also examines the potential consequences of such beliefs for eating behaviour.<h4>Recent findings</h4>Surveys suggest that, within community samples, the majority of individuals believe that certain foods are addictive, and that food addiction causes obesity. Further, many people believe <i>themselves</i> to be 'food addicts', and these individuals demonstrate increased patterns of aberrant eating. However, there is also initial experimental evidence to suggest that believing oneself to be a food addict leads to short-term food restriction.<h4>Summary</h4>To reconcile these findings, a self-perpetuating relationship between food addiction beliefs and aberrant eating is proposed. Specifically, in the short term, food addiction beliefs may encourage individuals to avoid certain foods. However, attempts at restriction may eventually lead to increased cravings and disinhibition, thus reinforcing perceptions of oneself as a food addict. These possibilities merit scrutiny in future research.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Eating behaviour, Food addiction, Food reward, Perceptions and beliefs
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	04 May 2017 09:57
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 07:05
DOI:	10.1007/s40429-017-0136-0
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3007234