Abuse victimization in childhood or adolescence and risk of food addiction in adult women
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Child abuse appears to increase obesity risk in adulthood, but the mechanisms are unclear. This study examined the association between child abuse victimization and food addiction, a measure of stress-related overeating, in 57,321 adult participants in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHSII). DESIGN AND METHODS: The NHSII ascertained physical and sexual child abuse histories in 2001 and current food addiction in 2009. Food addiction was defined as ≥3 clinically significant symptoms on a modified version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Confounder-adjusted risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using modified Poisson regression. RESULTS: Over 8% of the sample reported severe physical abuse in childhood, while 5.3% reported severe sexual abuse. Eight percent met the criteria for food addiction. Women with food addiction were 6 U of BMI heavier than women without food addiction. Severe physical and severe sexual abuse were associated with roughly 90% increases in food addiction risk (physical abuse RR = 1.92; 95% CI: 1.76, 2.09; sexual abuse RR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.69, 2.05). The RR for combined severe physical abuse and sexual abuse was 2.40 (95% CI: 2.16, 2.67). CONCLUSIONS: A history of child abuse is strongly associated with food addiction in this population.
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A previous study linked ELA to altered central reward processing promoting excess food intake in some individuals.
“Furthermore, a previous study linked ELA to altered central reward processing promoting excess food intake in some individuals [72].”
From Biological embedding of childhood adversity: from physiological mechanisms to clinical implications (2017) · cites this paper as [72]
The Discussion (page unavailable) reports an association between childhood abuse and food addiction and suggests that uncontrolled eating in response to distress may be part of the pathway to weight gain. The Introduction (page unavailable) discusses stress, brain reward function, and continued food consumption, but the study does not establish that early-life adversity alters central reward processing in the women studied. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSevere physical and sexual abuse are associated with a 90% increase in FA risk.
“For example, data from the Nurses’ Health Study II has shown that severe physical and sexual abuse are associated with a 90% increase in FA risk [52].”
From Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications (2020) · cites this paper as [52]
Childhood physical abuse and childhood sexual abuse both increase risk for food addiction by approximately 90%.
“Not surprisingly, childhood physical abuse and childhood sexual abuse both increase risk for FA by approximately 90% [10].”
From Separating the Signal from the Noise: How Psychiatric Diagnoses Can Help Discern Food Addiction from Dietary Restraint (2020) · cites this paper as [10]
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- Authors
- Mason, S. M., Flint, A. J., Field, A. E., Austin, S. B., & Rich‐Edwards, J. W.
- Affiliations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School Boston Massachusetts USA
- Corresponding author
- Mason, Susan M.
- Venue
- Obesity
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2013-07-29
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- E775-81
- ISSN
- 1930-7381 (ISSN-L)
- 1930-739X
- PMC
- PMC3855159
- OpenAlex
- W2148628462
- Cited by
- 112
- References
- 41
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 10.74
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Obesity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL064108, R01HL081557)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- child abuse, food addiction, physical abuse, sexual abuse, childhood adversity, obesity risk, adult women, Yale Food Addiction Scale, Nurses' Health Study II
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Child, Preschool, Eating, Female, Humans, Obesity, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Socioeconomic Factors, Cohort Studies, Body Mass Index, Confidence Intervals, Odds Ratio, Behavior, Addictive, Crime Victims
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