One in 20 Canadians is addicted to food, says study

Thanks to a bustling restaurant culture developing in Toronto and other major Canadian cities, there are many regular folks who now label themselves as “foodies.”

When food is good, we’re inspired to eat it. And sometimes, we are inspired to eat a little more than is good for our waistlines.

But there’s a difference between being a foodie and taking that passion a little too far. A new study out of Newfoundland’s Memorial University says that one in 20 Canadians can be classified as having a food addiction.

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Researchers classify addiction in this context as “compulsive overeating in harmful and unhealthy ways,” says the study’s senior author, Guang Sun. “This is the first finding of its kind,” he adds.

As the National Post notes, Sun and his team asked a group of 652 participants (415 women and 237 men) to answer questions about their eating habits. The method used is known as the Yale Food Addiction Scale, which asks people to describe their habits and feelings surrounding food over the past 12 months.

Questions ranged from options like: “I find myself consuming certain foods even though I am no longer hungry,” “My behavior with respect to food and eating causes me significant distress,” and “I have had physical withdrawal symptoms such as agitation and anxiety when I cut down on certain foods (does not include coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks or other caffeinated drinks),” for example.

Participants answered on a scale from “four times a week” to “never.”

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Those who answered three times or more that they felt distress, or that their food habits interfered in their daily life, were classified as having a food addiction.

Not surprisingly, the findings showed a correlation between obesity and food addiction. “Addicts” were found by researchers to weigh an average of 12 kilograms more than non-addicted participants, and eight per cent of overweight or obese participants measured for food addiction, versus the two per cent of average or underweight participants who received a positive score.

Though the study does not suggest ways to curb addiction, researchers say it’s a step toward understanding the relationship between obesity and food in Canada.