In a new study, researchers found that people with obesity behave somewhat like people with addictions to alcohol or drugs.
But obesity is also a complex condition that cannot be fully explained by the addiction model.
The research was conducted by a team from Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital.
Obesity rates have tripled since 1975, according to the World Health Organization.
This is likely caused by the increased availability of inexpensive, high-calorie food.
While the loss of control some people experience due to food leads some researchers to blame obesity on food addiction, others point out that food is a basic need and does not have addictive molecules, like nicotine or caffeine.
In the study, the team looked for ways to measure the behavioral similarities and differences that obesity has with addictive behaviors, as well as psychiatric disorders.
They turned to previous studies linking obesity and addiction to personality traits.
The most common personality test, the NEO Personality Inventory measures 30 facets of how people typically think, feel, and behave.
Example facets are Assertiveness, Altruism and Impulsiveness.
These, in turn, give participants a score of the “Big 5” personality traits: Agreeableness, Extraversion, Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, and Openness.
Linking personality test scores with bodyweight or addictive behaviors provided researchers unique personality profiles of obesity and addictive behaviors.
The researchers started comparing these personality profiles, aggregating data from 18,611 participants.
They found that all addictions had very similar personality profiles, suggesting great behavioral overlap. Addictions were also behaviorally similar to uncontrolled eating.
While obesity was also behaviorally linked to addictions, that link was considerably weaker. The scientists were surprised to find that obesity also shared behavioral overlap with mood disorders and certain personality disorders.
The study suggests that obesity treatments may benefit from borrowing methods from addiction treatments to improve people’s self-control capabilities.
However, obesity treatments should not focus on how people with addictions handle sensation-seeking, as this is not as much of an issue for people with obesity.
The lead author of the study is Dr. Alain Dagher.
The study is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
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