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Examining the proportions of food addiction among women with and without polycystic ovarian syndrome who do and do not take hormonal birth control
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Examining the proportions of food addiction among women with and without polycystic ovarian syndrome who do and do not take hormonal birth control

Karly Derrigo and Erica M. Lafata
Eating behaviors : an international journal, v 51, pp 101824-101824
01 Dec 2023
PMID: 37950975

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Psychiatry Psychology Psychology, Clinical Science & Technology Social Sciences
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a reproductive disorder driven by insulin resistance. Insulin resistance may increase weight gain and increase the rewarding intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Individuals with PCOS may be more susceptible to the reinforcing properties of UPFs, increasing the risk to consume UPFs in addictive-like ways, operationalized by food addiction (FA). Additionally, hormonal birth control, commonly prescribed to women with PCOS, are found to increase food cravings and overeating. This study examined the relationships between PCOS status, FA, and hormonal birth control use. The study sample (N = 365, assigned female at birth) was drawn from Amazon Mechanical Turk, with half of the sample (n = 181) reporting having PCOS and the other half not (n = 184). Participants answered questions about women's reproductive health (i.e., PCOS, hormonal birth control use) and completed the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0). A chi-square test found that 51.9 % of participants with PCOS (M = 6.23, SD = 3.82) met diagnostic criteria for FA (assessed by the mYFAS 2.0) compared to 16.8 % of participants without PCOS (M = 2.47, SD = 3.39). A hierarchical linear regression found independent main effects of PCOS status (beta = 0.40, t(352) = 8.61, p < .001) and hormonal birth control use (beta = 0.16, t(351) = 3.59, p < .001), to be associated with higher mYFAS symptom count scores. No differences were found between the types of hormonal birth control participants reported taking. The finding suggests that FA is an overlooked, understudied psychological condition impacting these individuals in weight loss treatments. Future studies are needed to understand the relationship between FA and PCOS in clinical samples.

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#5 Gender Equality
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Web of Science research areas
Psychiatry
Psychology, Clinical
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