gms | German Medical Science

Background: The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) measures addictive-like eating of palatable foods based on the diagnostic criteria for substance dependence in the fourth revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). It has been found that diagnoses of “food addiction” are met by some 5-10% in non-clinical samples and that YFAS scores mediate the association between impulsivity and body mass. Most recently, a new version of the YFAS has been developed based on the new diagnostic criteria for substance use disorder in DSM-5.

Methods: This new version of the YFAS was translated into German and used among other measures in a study with N = 455 university students (89% female).

Results: Diagnostic thresholds for “food addiction” were met by 1.3% (mild severity), 1.8% (moderate severity), and 6.6% (severe severity) of the sample. Receiving a “food addiction” diagnosis was associated with higher body mass, binge eating frequency, scores on trait food craving and attentional impulsivity, and with lower perceived self-regulatory success in dieting. Although there was no direct association between self-reported impulsivity and body mass, a serial mediation model indicated an indirect effect of impulsivity on body mass through food addiction symptomatology, trait food craving, binge eating frequency, and perceived self-regulatory success in dieting.

Conclusions: The current study showed that prevalence and correlates of “food addiction” were comparable to the previous version of the YFAS. The current results also provide possible mechanisms, which link higher impulsivity with higher body mass.