Food Addiction News and Research

RSS

Tobacco giants helped push ultra-processed foods into global markets

New research reveals how major tobacco companies used cigarette-era business tactics to expand packaged food empires, raising fresh questions about the global spread of ultra-processed and hyper-palatable foods.

4 Jun 2026

FoMO and anxiety may increase addictive eating risk

Research shows FoMO influences addictive eating, with anxiety heightening reward-driven cravings for ultra-processed foods and compulsive overeating.

12 May 2026

Study links excessive smartphone use with poor body image and disordered eating

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London has found that excessive smartphone use is closely associated with disordered eating, including uncontrolled eating and emotional overeating, as well greater symptoms of food addiction in young people with no diagnosis of an eating disorder.

13 Mar 2026

Supportive marriages may shape appetite control through oxytocin and the brain–gut axis

Supportive marital relationships are associated with lower BMI, fewer food addiction symptoms, higher oxytocin, stronger frontal brain responses to food cues, and favorable gut tryptophan metabolites. These coordinated social, neural, hormonal, and gut pathways suggest a plausible biological link between emotional support and healthier eating regulation.

8 Dec 2025

Emotional support in marriage associated with lower BMI and fewer food cravings

Strong social relationships, particularly high-quality marriages, may help protect against obesity by influencing a complex communication system between the brain and gut, according to new research by UCLA Health.

4 Dec 2025

How modern habits are reshaping the Mediterranean diet for the worse

Nearly all children and adolescents in five Mediterranean countries consume unhealthy ultra-processed foods daily, according to the DELICIOUS Project. The study links higher intake to obesity, older age, screen time, eating out, and exposure to food advertising.

9 Nov 2025

Processed food addiction is more common than alcohol or tobacco in older Americans

The addiction to ultraprocessed foods in older Americans is linked to health issues, with over 20% of women aged 50-64 meeting addiction criteria.

1 Oct 2025

Many older adults meet criteria for ultra-processed food addiction

They were the first generation of Americans to grow up with ultra-processed foods all around them – products typically loaded with extra fat, salt, sugar and flavorings.

29 Sep 2025

Gut-brain axis in eating disorders offers new treatment potential

Understanding the gut-brain axis is key to addressing eating disorders. This study highlights microbiota's influence and emerging therapeutic approaches.

16 Jul 2025

Ultra-processed food boosts addiction and worsens mood, study finds

A cross-sectional study of 3,997 adults in Türkiye found that ultra-processed food (UPF) intake is strongly linked to food addiction and negative mood. Surprisingly, no association was found between UPF consumption and hedonic hunger.

11 May 2025

Can psychedelics break compulsive eating habits in obesity?

A review by Oxford researchers explores how psychedelics like psilocybin and LSD may help disrupt compulsive eating behaviors in subsets of obese individuals. The paper outlines proposed neurobiological, epigenetic, and gut-brain mechanisms while emphasizing the need for human trials.

10 Apr 2025

Could a keto diet replace diabetes meds? New research explores the possibilities

A review published in Nutrients finds that ketogenic diets (KD) may offer superior benefits for weight loss, blood sugar control, and inflammation compared to other diets. Researchers also highlight potential mental health improvements but call for more clinical trials.

11 Mar 2025

Social media reshapes children’s diets and body image with alarming consequences

Systematic review highlights the pervasive negative influence of social media on children’s dietary habits, emphasizing increased unhealthy food consumption, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors.

19 Nov 2024

Study finds specific gut microbiota signature is associated with vulnerability to food addiction

Researchers of a recent study published in Gut explored gut microbial involvement in food addiction-related processes.

1 Jul 2024

Specific bacteria in the gut associated with food addiction

An international team of researchers has identified specific bacteria in the gut that are associated with both mice and humans developing an addiction to food that can lead to obesity.

26 Jun 2024

California moves ahead of the FDA in banning common candy additives

Halloween candy could be in for a California makeover.

20 Oct 2023

New research calls for shift in thinking about ultra-processed food addiction

Researchers from the United States, Brazil, and Spain, including scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, published an analysis in a special edition of the British Medical Journal with a timely and controversial recommendation: It's time for an international shift in the way we think about ultra-processed food.

9 Oct 2023

Study reveals unhealthy eating habits and poor sleep quality among female college students

Unhealthy eating habits and alcohol consumption among female health science college students revealed in a cross-sectional study, highlighting the need for nutritional education and lifestyle interventions. Macronutrient imbalances, poor sleep quality, and low adherence to the Mediterranean diet were observed.

28 Jun 2023

Childhood adversity a risk factor for adult pre-pregnancy weight gain

Researchers investigate the association between adverse childhood experiences and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) in a population-based cohort in Trøndelag county, Norway. The study found that perceiving childhood as difficult was associated with higher odds of pre-pregnancy underweight and obesity.

4 May 2023

Different drivers lead men and women to develop obesity, study reveals

A new study from UCLA researchers finds sex-specific brain signals that appear to confirm that different drivers lead men and women to develop obesity.

6 Apr 2023