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Nolan LJ, Embling R, Wilkinson LL. Breadth of substance use is associated with the selection of a larger food portion size via elevated impulsivity. Physiol Behav 2024; 283:114594. [PMID: 38789067 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Substance use is associated with altered or elevated food consumption and disordered eating. In the present study we examined whether breadth (variety) of drug use was associated with elevated portion size in a general population sample as it was in persons in recovery from substance use disorder. Furthermore, measures of emotional eating, impulsivity, food misuse, food craving were taken as possible mediators and reward responsiveness was examined as a potential moderator of this association. 444 adults (48.6 % women, mean age of 47.8 years) completed an online study in which they were asked to make judgements of ideal portion size for 6 different foods using a validated online tool that allowed participants to adjust the portion size of images of foods. Ideal portion size has been identified as a strong predictor of actual consumption. Participants were also asked to report the number of substances used in the past and provide anthropometric information. The results confirmed that breadth of drug use was associated with selection of higher portion size. Reward responsiveness was not a moderator of this relationship. Of the tested mediators, only impulsivity mediated the association between breadth of drug use and portion size. The results show that impulsivity may underlie the association between eating and substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence J Nolan
- Department of Psychology, Wagner College, Staten Island, 1 Campus Rd, Staten Island, NY 10301 USA.
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Stefanovics EA, Grilo CM, Potenza MN, Pietrzak RH. Obesity in Latinx and White U.S. military veterans: Mental health, psychosocial burden, non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal behavior. Psychiatry Res 2024; 335:115844. [PMID: 38484606 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
Obesity disproportionately affects Latinx communities and is linked to an increased risk of mental health problems. Military veterans are more likely to develop mental health problems, but the role of Latinx ethnicity in moderating the association between obesity and these problems is unclear. To address this gap, this study examined psychiatric and psychosocial correlates of obesity in a nationally representative sample of Latinx and White U.S. military veterans. Data were analyzed from the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, which surveyed 3524 Latinx and White veterans. Analyses revealed that Latinx ethnicity moderated associations between obesity and several measures. Specifically, among veterans with obesity, Latinx veterans had higher rates of major depression, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, drug use disorders, non-suicidal self-injury, and higher levels of childhood trauma, loneliness, and hostility relative to White veterans. These findings underscore the importance of culturally sensitive prevention and treatment efforts to help mitigate symptoms of internalizing disorders, drug use disorder, loneliness, and hostility, and to cultivate psychosocial resources such as resilience and coping self-efficacy among Latinx veterans with obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina A Stefanovics
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs New England Mental Illness Research and Education Clinical Center (MIRECC), West Haven, CT, USA; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center on Homelessness Among Veterans, Tampa, FL, USA.
| | - Carlos M Grilo
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Connecticut Mental Health Center, New Haven, CT, USA; Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA; Wu Tsai Institute, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
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Nolan LJ. Food selection in a buffet scenario by persons in recovery from substance use disorder: Testing a parallel mediation model including impulsivity, food craving, and breadth of drug use. Physiol Behav 2024; 275:114458. [PMID: 38184288 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Elevated food cravings and higher food consumption and body weight have been reported in studies of people in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). In a previous study, SUD recovery status predicted the energy from selected food images in a virtual buffet meal, most strongly in those with high reward responsiveness. The present study was conducted to determine which psychological variables might mediate the relationship between SUD recovery status and food selection and to replicate the finding that reward responsiveness moderated this relationship. In an online study, 216 women and men (109 in recovery from SUD) were asked to choose from among 16 food images in an all-you-can-eat buffet scenario. Food craving, impulsivity, "food addiction", irrational food beliefs, anhedonia, and breadth of drug use were examined as potential mediators while reward responsiveness was examined as a potential moderator. The amount of energy in the selected foods was the outcome variable. Results indicated that breadth of drug use was a mediator; being in SUD recovery predicted higher variety of drug use which predicted higher food selection. However, reward responsiveness did not moderate the relationship between SUD recovery status and energy from the selected foods. Exploratory analysis indicated that lack of premeditation, a measure of impulsivity, with food craving partially mediated the relationship between breadth of drug use and energy from selected foods and that lack of premeditation fully mediated it for sweet foods. The results confirm an association between substance use and food selection and suggest a mechanism via impulsivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence J Nolan
- Department of Psychology, Wagner College, 1 Campus Rd., Staten Island, NY, 10301, USA.
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Carr MM, Serowik KL, Na PJ, Potenza MN, Martino S, Masheb RM, Pietrzak RH. Co-occurring alcohol use disorder and obesity in U.S. military veterans: Prevalence, risk factors, and clinical features. J Psychiatr Res 2022; 150:64-70. [PMID: 35358833 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.03.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Obesity and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are two of the most prevalent and costly clinical conditions among U.S. military veterans, and these conditions often co-occur. However, little is known about the clinical correlates of co-occurring obesity and AUD, which is critical to informing effective interventions. The current study analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 4069 (3463 males, 479 females) veterans, who completed an online survey. The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test was used to identify veterans who screened positive for probable AUD (pAUD) and self-reported height and weight was used to calculate body mass index and identify veterans with obesity. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine differences between four groups: controls (no current AUD or obesity), pAUD only, obesity only, and pAUD + obesity. A total of 1390 (36.1%) veterans had obesity, 10.5% (n = 359) had pAUD, and 3.7% (n = 124) had pAUD and obesity. Relative to veterans without AUD, Veterans with pAUD were less likely to have normal/lean weight (14.6% versus 21.4%) and more likely to have overweight (49.6% versus 41.7%). Veterans with pAUD + obesity were nearly twice as likely than veterans with pAUD to report three or more adverse childhood experiences. The results of this study help inform the clinical presentation and needs of veterans with co-occurring obesity and AUD. They also underscore the importance of regularly monitoring weight among veterans with AUD, and considering the role of childhood adversity as a risk factor for co-occurring AUD and obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meagan M Carr
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave., West Haven, CT, 06516, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA.
| | - Kristin L Serowik
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave., West Haven, CT, 06516, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Peter J Na
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Marc N Potenza
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA; Department of Neuroscience, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA; Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA; Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling, Wethersfield, CT, 06109, USA; Connecticut Mental Health Center, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
| | - Steve Martino
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave., West Haven, CT, 06516, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Robin M Masheb
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave., West Haven, CT, 06516, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave., West Haven, CT, 06516, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave., New Haven, CT, 06516, USA; Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, 60 College St., New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
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Wiss DA, Brewerton TD, Tomiyama AJ. Limitations of the protective measure theory in explaining the role of childhood sexual abuse in eating disorders, addictions, and obesity: an updated model with emphasis on biological embedding. Eat Weight Disord 2022; 27:1249-1267. [PMID: 34476763 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-021-01293-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to its immediate negative consequences, childhood sexual abuse is associated with lifelong deleterious mental and physical health outcomes. This review employs a biopsychosocial perspective to better understand pathways from childhood sexual abuse to eating disorders, food and drug addictions, and obesity across the life course. Guided by an updated conceptual model, this review delineates how the biological embedding of childhood sexual abuse triggers a cascade of interrelated conditions that often result in failed attempts at weight suppression and eventually obesity. Such biological embedding involves pathways such as inflammation, allostatic load, reward sensitivity, activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, epigenetics, and structural and functional changes in the brain. These pathways are in turn theorized to lead to food addiction, substance use disorder, and eating disorders-each with potential pathways toward obesity over time. Predisposing factors to childhood sexual abuse including gender, culture, and age are discussed. This model calls into question the longstanding "protective measure" theory that purports individuals exposed to sexual abuse will deliberately or subconsciously gain weight in attempt to prevent future victimization. A more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which childhood sexual abuse becomes biologically embedded may help clinicians and survivors normalize and/or address disordered eating and weight-related outcomes, as well as identify intervention strategies.Level of evidence: Level V: opinions of respected authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Wiss
- Community Health Sciences Department, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, 650 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Timothy D Brewerton
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - A Janet Tomiyama
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
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Wiss DA, Avena N, Gold M. Food Addiction and Psychosocial Adversity: Biological Embedding, Contextual Factors, and Public Health Implications. Nutrients 2020; 12:E3521. [PMID: 33207612 PMCID: PMC7698089 DOI: 10.3390/nu12113521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of stress, trauma, and adversity particularly early in life has been identified as a contributing factor in both drug and food addictions. While links between traumatic stress and substance use disorders are well documented, the pathways to food addiction and obesity are less established. This review focuses on psychosocial and neurobiological factors that may increase risk for addiction-like behaviors and ultimately increase BMI over the lifespan. Early childhood and adolescent adversity can induce long-lasting alterations in the glucocorticoid and dopamine systems that lead to increased addiction vulnerability later in life. Allostatic load, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and emerging data on epigenetics in the context of biological embedding are highlighted. A conceptual model for food addiction is proposed, which integrates data on the biological embedding of adversity as well as upstream psychological, social, and environmental factors. Dietary restraint as a feature of disordered eating is discussed as an important contextual factor related to food addiction. Discussion of various public health and policy considerations are based on the concept that improved knowledge of biopsychosocial mechanisms contributing to food addiction may decrease stigma associated with obesity and disordered eating behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Wiss
- Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA;
| | - Nicole Avena
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA;
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
| | - Mark Gold
- School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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