Stressed Women Suffer From Food Addiction: Study

Women with post-traumatic stress disorder are addicted to food, finds a study.

Living in stressful conditions like war, poverty, natural calamities and personal crisis for longer duration can rob one's peace of mind and severely affect mental health.  People who suffer from conditions like repeated bouts of depression, anxiety, fear and stress after surviving adversities and distressing events have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These individuals heavily rely on medical support, anti-depressant drugs and strong personal relations to overcome mental disturbances.

A new research found PTSD patients, especially women, become addicted to food to seek comfort and relief when stressed and depressed. The expert team from the University of Minnesota interviewed almost 49,000 participants aged between 25 and 40 who complained of PTSD conditions like having interest in personal life or turning introverts. The subjects were either victims of child abuse or witnessed death of partner, family member or their child, reports Health.com

The scientists also noted eating habits and urges of these women. It was observed that 66 percent of women who endured a tragic event had at least one symptom of PTSD. About 8 percent reportedly suffered from unrestrained craving for food. The constant need to binge on food and snacks was also seen among women with six to seven symptoms of PTSD.

But, the strongest association between food addiction and PTSD was seen in those who were victimized or suffered tragic events before age 10. These findings warn of the dangers of obesity and related health disorders in patients of chronic stress.

"Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that observed links between PTSD and obesity might be partly explained by a tendency to use food to self-medicate traumatic stress symptoms. These findings suggest that interrupting the pathway from PTSD to obesity may require psychological and behavioral interventions that address dependence on eating to cope with distress," write the authors in the study, reports the Live Science.

More information is available online in JAMA Psychiatry.