Food Craving and Aversion Among First Time Pregnant Women in Selected Health Facilities in Enugu Metropolis Enugu State

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Food Craving and Aversion Among First Time Pregnant Women in Selected Health Facilities in Enugu Metropolis Enugu State FOOD CRAVING AND AVERSION AMONG FIRST TIME PREGNANT WOMEN IN SELECTED HEALTH FACILITIES IN ENUGU METROPOLIS ENUGU STATE BY MADU NGOZI BENEDETH PG/MSC/09/53793 MSC NURSING DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO DEPARTMENT OF NURSING SCIENCES FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA ENUGU CAMPUS APRIL, 2016 FOOD CRAVING AND AVERSION AMONG FIRST TIME PREGNANT WOMEN IN SELECTED HEALTH FACILITIES IN ENUGU METROPOLIS ENUGU STATE 1 BY MADU NGOZI BENEDETH PG/MSC/09/53793 MSC NURSING DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO DEPARTMENT OF NURSING SCIENCES FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY COLLEGE OF MEDICINE UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA ENUGU CAMPUS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF MASTERS DEGREE IN COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING SUPERVISOR: DR. NWANERI, A, C. APRIL, 2016 Approval This is to certify that dissertation was originally carried out by Madu Ngozi, Registration number PG/M.Sc/09/53793 in the Department of Nursing Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences and Technology, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. 2 …………………………… ………………………. Student Date 3 Dedication I humbly dedicated this work to God Almighty 4 Acknowledgement Unto him that sits upon the throne, with whom I have to do all by His power, I reverently appreciate Him and His loving kindness. With utmost sense of respect and humility, I wish to extend my gratitude to Dr. A Nwaneri, my erudite and worthy supervisor whose efforts make this project work a meaningful achievement and kept encouraging me to go on with her unlimited support and constructive comments in shaping this work without any hesitation. I equally express my gratitude to my Senior lecturer Dr. Mrs. Ogbonnaya .N. and other academic and non academic staff of Nursing Science Department for their contributions in one way or the other to enhance the reality of this project work. I am indebted to my husband Prince Uche Madu for his academic, moral and financial support. My special thanks goes to Rev. Fr. A.I Madu and Rev. Sr. M.C Madu and Rev. Sr. Susan N –Paul for their prayers throughout my period of study. Ifunanya, Chidiebere and Uchechukwu although very young, exhibited a great sense of understanding and calm all through the period of this research work.I wish to acknowledge the high degree of contribution of the Statistician Mr Uche ,typist Miss Oluchi and all those whose ideas have contributed in writing this dissertation (whom I have inadvertently not named here),I owe my gratitude. 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Abstract i Table of Contents ii List of Tables v List of Figures vi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Background to the Study 1 Statement of Problem 3 Purpose of Study 5 Objectives 5 Research Question 5 Hypotheses 5 Significance of the Study 6 Scope of the Study 6 Operational Definition of Terms 7 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 8 Conceptual Review 8 Concept of Nutrition in Pregnancy 8 Nutritional Requirement in Pregnancy 10 Benefits of Good Nutrition in Pregnancy 16 Causes of Poor Nutrition in Pregnancy 17 Consequences of Poor Nutrition in Pregnancy 18 The Effects of Poor Nutrition on the Pregnant Woman 19 Concept of Food Craving in Pregnancy 20 Measures Taken by Pregnant Women to Substitute/Manage Food Craving and Aversion 24 The Reasons for Food Craving and Aversion in First Time Pregnant Women 25 6 Implication of Food Craving and Aversion 29 Demographic Status and Food Craving and Aversion in First Time Pregnant Women 30 Theoretical Review 31 Review of Empirical Studies 35 Summary of Literature and Critical Analysis of Empirical Studies Reviewed 47 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD 49 Research Design 49 The Area of Study 49 Population of Study 50 Sample 50 Instrument for Data Collection 52 Validity of Instrument 53 Reliability of the Instrument 53 Ethical Consideration 53 Procedure for Data Collection 54 Method of Data Analysis 54 CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION OF RESULTS 55 Summary of Major Findings 71 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION 73 Discussion of Major Findings 73 Implication of the Study 81 Limitation of the Study 82 Suggestions for the Further Studies 82 Summary of the Study 82 Conclusion 84 7 Recommendations 86 References Appendix I: Questionnaire Appendix II: Sample Size Calculation Appendix III: Reliability Appendix IV: Ethical Clearance Certificate Appendix V: Administrative Permission Letter 8 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Distribution of Sample Size in each Selected Health Facility 52 Table 2: Demography o f the Respondents 56 Table 3: Stage of Pregnancy at which the First Time Pregnant Women Experience Craving 58 Table 4: Types of Food Craved by First Time Pregnant Women 59 Table 5: Stage of Pregnancy at which the First Time Pregnant Women Experience Aversion 61 Table 6: Types of Food Aversed by First Time Pregnant Women 61 Table 7: Reasons for their Specific Food Craving and Aversion 62 Table 8: Awareness of the Implication of Food Craving and Aversion in Pregnancy 64 Table 9: Measures First Time Pregnant Women take to Substitute for Food Craving and Aversion in Order to Meet up with their Required Nutritional Value (needs) 66 Table 10: Association Between Level of Education and Food Craving 67 Table 11: Association Between level of Education and Food Aversion 68 Table 12: Association Between Residential Location and Food Craving 68 Table 13: Association Between Residential Location and Food Aversion 69 Table 14: Relationship between Awareness of Implication of Food Craving and aversion in First Time Pregnant Women 70 9 LIST OF FIGURES Fig 1: Respondents who crave for food 58 Fig 2: Respondents who have aversion for food 60 ABSTRACT 10 This study was aimed at examining the food craving and aversion among first time pregnant women in selected health facilities in Enugu metropolis. The objectives of this study were to determine the type of food first time pregnant women crave for or have aversion to, identify their reasons for their specific food craving and aversion, determine the first time pregnant women’s awareness of the implication of food craving and aversion in pregnancy and to identify measures taken by first time pregnant women to substitute for food craving and aversion in order to meet up with their required nutritional needs. Cross sectional descriptive research design was used for this study. A sample size of 366 respondents who met the inclusion criteria were drawn from the target population of 2000 first time pregnant women using Taro Yameni’s formular. Proportional stratified sampling method was used to select a representative sample size from each randomly selected health facilities and convenience sampling technique was used to reach the respondent. Data was collected using researchers developed questionnaire with a reliability of 0.87. Data collected was analyzed with the help of International Business Machine Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Descriptive statistic which include frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze and answer research questions. Hypotheses were tested using Pearson Chi- square; level of significance was set at P less than 0.05. The result of the study showed that majority(74.8%) of respondents crave for or averse to at least one food item and the type of food craved for were fruits. The type of food aversed to are beans based products. Majority (42.6%) of the respondents indicated that they do not know most of the effect of food craving and aversion on the health of mother and fetus. Majority (52.7%) of the first time pregnant women do nothing to substitute for food nutrients needed in pregnancy when experiencing food craving and aversion. Based on these findings, it was concluded that first time pregnancy women craved for or averse to at least one food item and majority of the first time pregnancy were not aware of the implication of food craving and aversion in pregnancy. It is recommended that health personnel/nutritionist should be encouraged to educate pregnant women especially the first time pregnant women on nutritional needs during pregnancy and should involve men in nutritional education bearing in mind of male dominance in certain culture and tradition. 11 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background to the Study Good nutrition before and during pregnancy builds a healthy fetus and protects the mothers own nutritional health. (Dickason, Silverman & Schultz, 2010). In early weeks of pregnancy significant developmental changes occur that depend on a woman’s nutrient stores. The food pregnant mothers eat on a daily basis affects how their bodies work and how they maintain energy and strength (Handisco, 2014). It also determines the basic nutritional health that their children are born with and provides a model for their eating habits during childhood and beyond. Pregnancy is the time in women’s life when their eating habits directly affect their fetus (Demissie, Muroki, & Makau, 2012). Their decision to incorporate nutritious food into their eating plan during pregnancy will give them strength and helps them to give birth to healthy baby. The risk of giving birth to a low birth weight baby is related to women’s nutritional status (Handisco, 2014). Therefore dietary consumption during pregnancy can have significant health implications for both mother and fetus. (Demissie, Muroki, & Makau 2012). According to Knox (2013) studies showed that maternal nutrition can affect a range of factors including the course of pregnancy and the incidence of prematurity and congenital malformations in the infant. Pregnancy is often accompanied by a variety of nutritionally linked problems that most of the time pregnant mothers have to cope with (Dickason et al, 2010). In order to cope with these problems and to proceed with a successful pregnancy, mothers experience a number of physiological and behavioral adjustments such as food craving and food aversion during pregnancy. Food craving are intense desire to obtain certain foods which are very interesting to the individual and may not be accessible at that time.
Recommended publications
  • Ultraprocessed Food: Addictive, Toxic, and Ready for Regulation
    nutrients Article Ultraprocessed Food: Addictive, Toxic, and Ready for Regulation Robert H. Lustig 1,2,3 1 Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA; [email protected] 2 Institute for Health Policy Studies, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA 3 Department of Research, Touro University-California, Vallejo, CA 94592, USA Received: 27 September 2020; Accepted: 23 October 2020; Published: 5 November 2020 Abstract: Past public health crises (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, opioids, cholera, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), lead, pollution, venereal disease, even coronavirus (COVID-19) have been met with interventions targeted both at the individual and all of society. While the healthcare community is very aware that the global pandemic of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has its origins in our Western ultraprocessed food diet, society has been slow to initiate any interventions other than public education, which has been ineffective, in part due to food industry interference. This article provides the rationale for such public health interventions, by compiling the evidence that added sugar, and by proxy the ultraprocessed food category, meets the four criteria set by the public health community as necessary and sufficient for regulation—abuse, toxicity, ubiquity, and externalities (How does your consumption affect me?). To their credit, some countries have recently heeded this science and have instituted sugar taxation policies to help ameliorate NCDs within their borders. This article also supplies scientific counters to food industry talking points, and sample intervention strategies, in order to guide both scientists and policy makers in instituting further appropriate public health measures to quell this pandemic.
    [Show full text]
  • Neural Correlates and Treatments Binge Eating Disorder
    Running head: Binge Eating Disorder: Neural correlates and treatments Binge Eating Disorder: Neural correlates and treatments Bachelor Degree Project in Cognitive Neuroscience Basic level 22.5 ECTS Spring term 2019 Malin Brundin Supervisor: Paavo Pylkkänen Examiner: Stefan Berglund Running head: Binge Eating Disorder: Neural correlates and treatments Abstract Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent of all eating disorders and is characterized by recurrent episodes of eating a large amount of food in the absence of control. There have been various kinds of research of BED, but the phenomenon remains poorly understood. This thesis reviews the results of research on BED to provide a synthetic view of the current general understanding on BED, as well as the neural correlates of the disorder and treatments. Research has so far identified several risk factors that may underlie the onset and maintenance of the disorder, such as emotion regulation deficits and body shape and weight concerns. However, neuroscientific research suggests that BED may characterize as an impulsive/compulsive disorder, with altered reward sensitivity and increased attentional biases towards food cues, as well as cognitive dysfunctions due to alterations in prefrontal, insular, and orbitofrontal cortices and the striatum. The same alterations as in addictive disorders. Genetic and animal studies have found changes in dopaminergic and opioidergic systems, which may contribute to the severities of the disorder. Research investigating neuroimaging and neuromodulation approaches as neural treatment, suggests that these are innovative tools that may modulate food-related reward processes and thereby suppress the binges. In order to predict treatment outcomes of BED, future studies need to further examine emotion regulation and the genetics of BED, the altered neurocircuitry of the disorder, as well as the role of neurotransmission networks relatedness to binge eating behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature of Food Cravings Following Weight-Loss Surgery
    THE NATURE OF FOOD CRAVINGS FOLLOWING WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY Heidi Michelle Guthrie Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology (D. Clin. Psychol. ) The University of Leeds Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences School of Medicine July 2008 The candidate confirms that the work submitted is her own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others This copy has been supplied o the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. ACKNOWLEDEMENTS I would like to thank the following people: My supervisor Andy Hill for his guidance, support and positive words in times of adversity. Mr Simon Dexter and Ken Clare for all of their help and supportwith recruitment. The peoplewho kindly agreedto give their time to take part in this study. My friends for their ongoing support, patience and ready supply of alcohol. And finally my parents, without whose love and encouragement, I never would have got this far. ABSTRACT Despite the rise in obesity in western society, the nature of food cravings in individuals who have undergone weight-loss surgery has been relatively unstudied. This study aimed to provide a detailed analysis of the experience of food craving comparing groups of participants according to a) time post-surgery and b) type of surgical procedure. Two time groups emerged, those who were 3-8 months post- surgery and those who were one year+ post-surgery. In terms of surgical procedure, those having purely restrictive procedures (i.
    [Show full text]
  • Clinical and Neurophysiological Correlates of Emotion and Food Craving Regulation in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa
    Journal of Clinical Medicine Article Clinical and Neurophysiological Correlates of Emotion and Food Craving Regulation in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa 1,2,3, , 1,2, 1,2 Nuria Mallorquí-Bagué * y , María Lozano-Madrid y, Giulia Testa , Cristina Vintró-Alcaraz 1,2, Isabel Sánchez 1, Nadine Riesco 1, José César Perales 4 , Juan Francisco Navas 5,6, Ignacio Martínez-Zalacaín 1,7 , Alberto Megías 4 , Roser Granero 2,8 , Misericordia Veciana De Las Heras 9, Rayane Chami 10, Susana Jiménez-Murcia 1,2,7, José Antonio Fernández-Formoso 2, Janet Treasure 10 and Fernando Fernández-Aranda 1,2,7,* 1 Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge-IDIBELL, 08907 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] (M.L.-M.); [email protected] (G.T.); [email protected] (C.V.-A.); [email protected] (I.S.); [email protected] (N.R.); [email protected] (I.M.-Z.); [email protected] (S.J.-M.) 2 CIBER Fisiopatologia Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] (R.G.); [email protected] (J.A.F.-F.) 3 Addictive Behavior Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08001 Barcelona, Spain 4 Department of Experimental Psychology, Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Centre, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain; [email protected] (J.C.P.); [email protected] (A.M.) 5 Department of Basic Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain; [email protected] 6 Universitat Oberta
    [Show full text]
  • What Your Food Cravings Really Mean
    What Your Food Cravings Really Mean A food craving is a desire, sometimes intense, for a specific food. it can seem uncontrollable, and hunger may not be satisfied until you get that particular food. We all experience food cravings differently. Cravings vary, ranging from junk foods and processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fat. Food cravings are a major roadblocks for those trying to maintain a healthy weight or switch to more healthy habits, including improving our relationship to food. Luckily, there are things we can do to improve or even get rid of cravings. This includes what we eat but also managing stress, getting proper sleep, not restricting foods, understanding what the cravings mean and most of all eating a variety of foods to avoid deficiencies. Some causes... Different people will experience different food cravings. Often, the cravings are for foods high in sugar and fats, which makes maintaining a healthful lifestyle difficult. Food cravings are caused by different areas of the brain that are responsible for memory, pleasure, and reward. With an imbalance of hormones, like leptin and serotonin, it will also cause food cravings. It’s also possible that food cravings are due to endorphins that are released into the body after someone has eaten, which is identical to an addiction. Emotions play a huge role in a food craving, especially if a person eats for comfort. Stress, lack of pleasure in certain areas of your life and relating foods to a time in your life in the past. We also relate activiites to food: Movies = snacks.
    [Show full text]
  • Fat Addiction: Psychological and Physiological Trajectory
    nutrients Discussion Fat Addiction: Psychological and Physiological Trajectory Siddharth Sarkar 1 , Kanwal Preet Kochhar 2 and Naim Akhtar Khan 3,* 1 Department of Psychiatry and National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre (NDDTC), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi 110029, India; [email protected] 2 Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi 110029, India; [email protected] 3 Nutritional Physiology and Toxicology (NUTox), UMR INSERM U1231, University of Bourgogne and Franche-Comte (UBFC), 6 boulevard Gabriel, 21000 Dijon, France * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +33-3-80-39-63-12; Fax: + 33-3-80-39-63-30 Received: 9 October 2019; Accepted: 12 November 2019; Published: 15 November 2019 Abstract: Obesity has become a major public health concern worldwide due to its high social and economic burden, caused by its related comorbidities, impacting physical and mental health. Dietary fat is an important source of energy along with its rewarding and reinforcing properties. The nutritional recommendations for dietary fat vary from one country to another; however, the dietary reference intake (DRI) recommends not consuming more than 35% of total calories as fat. Food rich in fat is hyperpalatable, and is liable to be consumed in excess amounts. Food addiction as a concept has gained traction in recent years, as some aspects of addiction have been demonstrated for certain varieties of food. Fat addiction can be a diagnosable condition, which has similarities with the construct of addictive disorders, and is distinct from eating disorders or normal eating behaviors. Psychological vulnerabilities like attentional biases have been identified in individuals described to be having such addiction.
    [Show full text]
  • The Relationship Between Food Craving, Appetite-Related Hormones and Clinical Parameters in Bipolar Disorder
    nutrients Article The Relationship Between Food Craving, Appetite-Related Hormones and Clinical Parameters in Bipolar Disorder Martina Platzer 1, Frederike T. Fellendorf 1,*, Susanne A. Bengesser 1, Armin Birner 1, Nina Dalkner 1 , Carlo Hamm 1, Melanie Lenger 1, Alexander Maget 1, René Pilz 1, Robert Queissner 1, Bernd Reininghaus 1, Alexandra Reiter 1, Harald Mangge 2, Sieglinde Zelzer 2, Hans-Peter Kapfhammer 1 and Eva Z. Reininghaus 1 1 Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria; [email protected] (M.P.); [email protected] (S.A.B.); [email protected] (A.B.); [email protected] (N.D.); [email protected] (C.H.); [email protected] (M.L.); [email protected] (A.M.); [email protected] (R.P.); [email protected] (R.Q.); [email protected] (B.R.); [email protected] (A.R.); [email protected] (H.-P.K.); [email protected] (E.Z.R.) 2 Research Unit on Lifestyle and Inflammation-Associated Risk Biomarkers, Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria; [email protected] (H.M.); [email protected] (S.Z.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Obesity and weight gain in bipolar disorder (BD) have multifactorial underlying causes such as medication side effects, atypical depressive symptomatology, genetic variants, and distur- bances in the neuro-endocrinal system. Therefore, we aim to explore the associations between food craving (FC), clinical parameters, psychotropic medication, and appetite-related hormones. In this cross-sectional investigation, 139 individuals with BD and 93 healthy controls (HC) completed the food craving inventory (FCI).
    [Show full text]
  • Food Cue Reactivity and Craving Predict Eating and Weight Gain: a Meta-Analytic Review
    obesity reviews doi: 10.1111/obr.12354 Etiology and Pathophysiology Food cue reactivity and craving predict eating and weight gain: a meta-analytic review Rebecca G. Boswell1 and Hedy Kober1,2 1Department of Psychology, Yale University, Summary New Haven, CT, USA, and 2Department of According to learning-based models of behavior, food cue reactivity and craving Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, Yale are conditioned responses that lead to increased eating and subsequent weight gain. University, New Haven, CT, USA However, evidence supporting this relationship has been mixed. We conducted a quantitative meta-analysis to assess the predictive effects of food cue reactivity Received 16 June 2015; revised 7 October and craving on eating and weight-related outcomes. Across 69 reported statistics 2015; accepted 9 October 2015 from 45 published reports representing 3,292 participants, we found an overall me- dium effect of food cue reactivity and craving on outcomes (r = 0.33, p < 0.001; ap- Address for correspondence: Hedy Kober, proximately 11% of variance), suggesting that cue exposure and the experience of Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, craving significantly influence and contribute to eating behavior and weight gain. Yale University, 1 Church Street, Suite 701, Follow-up tests revealed a medium effect size for the effect of both tonic and cue- New Haven, CT 06510, USA. induced craving on eating behavior (r = 0.33). We did not find significant differ- E-mail: [email protected] ences in effect sizes based on body mass index, age, or dietary restraint. However, we did find that visual food cues (e.g.
    [Show full text]
  • Eating Behaviours and Food Cravings; Influence of Age, Sex, BMI And
    Eating behaviours and food cravings; influence of age, sex, BMI and FTO genotype ABDELLA, Hanan M., EL FARSSI, Hameida O.El, BROOM, David <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0305-937X>, HADDEN, Dawn and DALTON, Caroline <http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1404-873X> Available from Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/24102/ This document is the author deposited version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it. Published version ABDELLA, Hanan M., EL FARSSI, Hameida O.El, BROOM, David, HADDEN, Dawn and DALTON, Caroline (2019). Eating behaviours and food cravings; influence of age, sex, BMI and FTO genotype. Nutrients, 11 (2), p. 377. Copyright and re-use policy See http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive http://shura.shu.ac.uk nutrients Article Eating Behaviours and Food Cravings; Influence of Age, Sex, BMI and FTO Genotype Hanan M. Abdella 1, Hameida O. El Farssi 1, David R. Broom 2 , Dawn A. Hadden 1 and Caroline F. Dalton 1,* 1 Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UK; [email protected] (H.M.A.); [email protected] (H.O.E.F.); [email protected] (D.A.H.) 2 Academy of Sport and Physical Activity, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S10 2BP, UK; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +44-114-225-3695 Received: 23 November 2018; Accepted: 24 January 2019; Published: 12 February 2019 Abstract: Previous studies indicate that eating behaviours and food cravings are associated with increased BMI and obesity.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Craving, Stress and Limbic Irritability
    ACTIVITAS Activitas Nervosa Superior 2010;52:3-4,113-117 NERVOSA ORIGINAL SUPERIOR ARTICLE FOOD CRAVING, STRESS AND LIMBIC IRRITABILITY Miroslav Svetlak* Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic Center for Neuropsychiatric Research of Traumatic Stress & Department of Psychiatry, 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Praha, Czech Republic Received August 23, 2010; accepted September 12, 2010 Abstract Recent findings show that food craving is strongly related to emotional distress. Stress-induced feeding is a phenomenon related to sensitization associated with repeated stress stimuli and related increase in incentive salience attributed to known familiar foods and increased craving. Because stress sensitization may also produce seizure-like activity, aim of the present study was to test a hypothesis that food craving could be linked to heightened level of seizure-like symptoms that present cognitive and affective symptoms related to temporo-limbic hyperexcitability. In order to achieve this goal we have measured indices of food craving, traumatic stress and seizure-like symptoms using psychometric measures in 257 university students. The results indicate statistically significant correlations of food craving with traumatic stress symptoms (r=0.26, p<0.05), dissociative symptoms (r=0.37, p<0.01) and seizure-like symptoms (r=0.41, p<0.01). These results present first supportive evidence that food craving in healthy persons may be related to traumatic stress and sei- zure-like symptoms.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Craving : Understanding Body Signals
    Food craving : understanding body signals Food cravings mean that the body has its signals mixed up. When we are exhausted or blue, we have low blood sugar and/or low serotonin, and the body signals the brain that it needs a pick- me-up. This signal causes a sugar craving or carbohydrate craving. Why do we crave for food? There are three basic factors responsible for food craving: * Hormonal Imbalance * Dieting * Adrenal fatigue Serotonin is our basic feel-good hormone. Hormonal imbalance or weak digestion can lead to low serotonin. Unfortunately, sugars and simple carbohydrates release a short burst of serotonin — we feel good for a moment, but soon return to our low-serotonin state — then crave more sugar and simple carbohydrates. Insulin is responsible for maintaining stable blood sugar levels by telling the body’s cells when to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Being insulin resistant means your body stops responding to insulin, and instead grabs every calorie it can and deposits it as fat. So no matter how little you eat, you will gradually gain weight. Insulin resistance leads directly to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. And a low-fat diet makes it far more likely you will suffer from this condition. At the same time, your cells cannot absorb the glucose they need, so they signal your brain that you need more carbohydrates or sugars. The result is persistent food cravings. If you eat a low-fat diet in the hope of losing weight, you unintentionally make the problem worse. If, like millions of women, you have eaten a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet for many years, or followed fad diets, the odds are good that you have become at least partially insulin resistant.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Addiction Or Food Craving?
    Food addiction or food craving? 07 July 2008 Some people believe that foods high in fat or sugar might be addictive, thereby driving consumers to overeating and obesity. Does it mean that foods should be regarded in the same way as alcohol or cigarettes? Or is it that people confuse the terms “addiction”, “craving” and “eating disorders”? Why do some people talk about “addiction” in the context of food consumption? Addiction is characterised by the compulsion to use a substance, uncontrolled consumption, and the existence of withdrawal symptoms (such as anxiety and irritability) when access to the substance is prevented. People suffering from eating disorders such as ‘binge eating’, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa tend to display these symptoms, suggesting similarities between how the body reacts to drug use and compulsive eating. Common pathways in the brain are thought to be responsible for the sensation of pleasure derived from food intake and drug use. For example, studies with laboratory rats have shown that repeated, excessive intake of sugar can sensitise brain receptors to dopamine (a substance produced in the brain when we experience pleasure) in a similar way to the abuse of illicit drugs. Studies in people using brain neuroimaging techniques, which enable imaging the structure and function of the brain, also indicate similarities between physiological responses to anticipation of palatable food and that of drugs of abuse – for example, dopamine is released in the same brain areas. The case against “food addiction” Despite these commonalities between eating and drug use, the vast majority of cases classified as “food addiction” should not be viewed as addictive behaviour.
    [Show full text]