Eating disorders, overeating and pathological attatchment to food: Independent or addictive disorders?

The thesis of this book is that there are connections between eating disorders and substance abuse. There are similarities in the craving for food to the cravings for substances of addiction; people with eating disorders experience symptoms similar to those of classic addiction. With the increase in obesity in the West, this book hopes to focus future studies on more effective treatment.This resource was contributed by The National Documentation Centre on Drug Use.

Healthy Eating Education Programme

This Programme provides healthy nutritious food for residents and ex-residents of the East Belfast Missions homeless shelter. It also provides health and diet sessions and cookery demonstrations on how to plan and prepare healthy food on a low budget. Information and advice sessions will also be provided for local residents, senior citizens and users of their family and community programmes giving advice and support on how to prepare and cook healthy meals on a low income. They are also linked in with a Going Green local community gardening project. Funding: safefood, Contact: Joyce Mason Address: 240 Newtownards Road, Belfast BT4 1AF County: Antrim Phone number: +442890738304 Email: joyce.mason@ebm.org.uk Website: www.ebm.org.uk Partner organisation(s):

Gortin Community Seasonal Eating

Gortin Community Seasonal Eating is based within Owenkillew Development Company in the rural village of Gortin. They are establishing a community garden which will help to develop sustainable living through encouraging growing their own food, developing healthy options which are available locally and educating both providers and consumers in healthy food options. Their aims are to improve access to and availability of healthy food options through community growing and harvesting of fruit and vegetables and eating locally produced and procured ingredients. They will educate parents through targeting both the children and parents of local schools and play/toddler groups. They will use community networking of social media such as facebook, twitter and community newspaper to promote messages and events etc. They will promote awareness of healthy eating and will aim to challenge public policy on food poverty at regional and national levels. Part of theCFI Programme 2013-2015 Initiative Type Community Food Growing Projects Location Tyrone Partner Agencies safefood

Assessing attachment cognitions and their associations with depression in youth with eating or drug misuse disorders.

The study investigates associations between attachment cognitions and depression symptoms in 71 15-25-year-olds, 26 of whom have eating disorders, and 20 of whom are drug misusers. Attachment cognitions were measured with the CaMir Q-sort, which provides indexes for secure, avoidant, and preoccupied attachment, as well as scores on 13 dimensions. The BDI-13 was used to measure depressive symptomatology. Consistent with the literature, BDI scores were associated with cognitions of preoccupied attachment. They were also related to cognitions of avoidant attachment, confirming Bowlby's theory on defensive exclusion. For participants with eating disorders, depressive symptomatology was related to preoccupation and parental interference, whereas for drug misusers, it was negatively related to security, preoccupation, parental support, and lack of parental concern. These findings help understand how attachment cognitions may participate in depressive symptomatology, namely in youth whose behavior problems may be associated with specific attachment experiences.

Eating disorders: Core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders

Core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and related eating disorders - NICE Guidance

Enjoy healthy eating

�What we eat every day has a big impact on our health - from the amount of energy we have when we get up in the morning to our risk of developing conditions like heart disease and cancer in the future. A healthy diet doesn��'t have to be boring or restrictive ��- we can still eat a wide range of delicious foods, while keeping an eye on our intake of sugar, fat and salt.

Partial eating disorders among adolescents: a review.

PURPOSE: Many adolescents do not fulfill all the DSM-IV criteria's for anorexia nervosa and bulimia, but do nevertheless suffer from partial eating disorders (EDs). This review focuses on the definition, epidemiology and clinical aspects of these disorders. METHODS: Search on Medline & PsycINFO, review of websites, screening of bibliographies of articles and book chapters. RESULTS: There is still no consensus on the definition of these disorders, which cover a wide range of severity. Affected adolescents often suffer from physical and psychological problems owing to co-morbidity or as a consequence of their eating patterns: chronic constipation, dyspeptic symptoms, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, headaches, hypotension, menstrual dysfunction as well as dysthymia, depressive and anxiety disorders, or substance misuse and abuse. In comparison with those who are unaffected, adolescents with partial ED are at higher risk of evolving into full ED. However, most of them evolve into spontaneous remission. Adolescents with partial ED engaged, over a period of several months, in potentially unhealthy weight-control practices, suffering from intense fear of gaining weight and a disturbed body weight/image should be offered therapeutic support. CONCLUSION: Future research should focus on the exact delineation of various subtypes of clinical presentations in partial ED and on evidence-based treatment and follow-up of these various situations.

Executive functions profile in extreme eating/weight conditions: from anorexia nervosa to obesity.

BACKGROUND Extreme weight conditions (EWC) groups along a continuum may share some biological risk factors and intermediate neurocognitive phenotypes. A core cognitive trait in EWC appears to be executive dysfunction, with a focus on decision making, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Differences between individuals in these areas are likely to contribute to the differences in vulnerability to EWC. The aim of the study was to investigate whether there is a common pattern of executive dysfunction in EWC while comparing anorexia nervosa patients (AN), obese subjects (OB) and healthy eating/weight controls (HC). METHODS Thirty five AN patients, fifty two OB and one hundred thirty seven HC were compared using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST); Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT); and Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). All participants were female, aged between 18 and 60 years. RESULTS There was a significant difference in IGT score (F(1.79); p<.001), with AN and OB groups showing the poorest performance compared to HC. On the WCST, AN and OB made significantly more errors than controls (F(25.73); p<.001), and had significantly fewer correct responses (F(2.71); p<.001). Post hoc analysis revealed that the two clinical groups were not significantly different from each other. Finally, OB showed a significant reduced performance in the inhibition response measured with the Stroop test (F(5.11); p<.001) compared with both AN and HC. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that EWC subjects (namely AN and OB) have similar dysfunctional executive profile that may play a role in the development and maintenance of such disorders.

The Endocannabinoid System as Pharmacological Target Derived from Its CNS Role in Energy Homeostasis and Reward. Applications in Eating Disorders and Addiction

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) has been implicated in many physiological functions, including the regulation of appetite, food intake and energy balance, a crucial involvement in brain reward systems and a role in psychophysiological homeostasis (anxiety and stress responses). We first introduce this important regulatory system and chronicle what is known concerning the signal transduction pathways activated upon the binding of endogenous cannabinoid ligands to the Gi/0-coupled CB1 cannabinoid receptor, as well as its interactions with other hormones and neuromodulators which can modify endocannabinoid signaling in the brain. Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are severe and disabling psychiatric disorders, characterized by profound eating and weight alterations and body image disturbances. Since endocannabinoids modulate eating behavior, it is plausible that endocannabinoid genes may contribute to the biological vulnerability to these diseases. We present and discuss data suggesting an impaired endocannabinoid signaling in these eating disorders, including association of endocannabinoid components gene polymorphisms and altered CB1-receptor expression in AN and BN. Then we discuss recent findings that may provide new avenues for the identification of therapeutic strategies based on the endocannabinod system. In relation with its implications as a reward-related system, the endocannabinoid system is not only a target for cannabis but it also shows interactions with other drugs of abuse. On the other hand, there may be also a possibility to point to the ECS as a potential target for treatment of drug-abuse and addiction. Within this framework we will focus on enzymatic machinery involved in endocannabinoid inactivation (notably fatty acid amide hydrolase or FAAH) as a particularly interesting potential target. Since a deregulated endocannabinoid system may be also related to depression, anxiety and pain symptomatology accompanying drug-withdrawal states, this is an area of relevance to also explore adjuvant treatments for improving these adverse emotional reactions.

Eating habits of preschool children with high migrant status in Switzerland according to a new food frequency questionnaire.

Assessment of eating habits in young children from multicultural backgrounds has seldom been conducted. Our objectives were to study the reproducibility and the results of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) developed to assess changes in eating habits of preschool children with a high migrant population, in the context of a multidisciplinary multilevel lifestyle intervention. Three kindergarten classes (53% from migrant backgrounds) in French-speaking Switzerland were randomly selected and included 16 girls and 28 boys (mean age +/- SD, 5.4 +/- 0.7 years). The FFQ was filled out twice within a 4-week interval by the parents. Spearman rank correlations between the first and the second FFQ for the 39 items of the food questions were as follows: low (r < 0.50) for 8 (7 P < .05 and 1 nonsignificant), moderate (0.50 <or= r < 0.70) for 22 (all P < .01), and high (r >or= 0.70) for 9 (all P < .01). In addition, 28 of 39 intraclass correlation coefficients were high (>0.50, all P < .01). Eighty-six percent of the children ate breakfast at home daily, but only 67% had lunch at home. The percentages of children eating at least once a week in front of the TV were as follows: 50% for breakfast, 33% for lunch, 38% for dinner, and 48% for snacks. Forty percent of children asked their parents to buy food previously seen in advertisements and ate fast food between once a week and once a month. Children generally consumed foods with a high-energy content. The FFQ yielded good test-retest reproducibility for most items of the food questions and gave relevant findings about the eating habits of preschool children in areas with a high migrant population.

Prise en charge d'adolescents souffrant d'anorexie mentale: le rôle des parents, une approche basée sur l'évidence [Adolescents with an eating disorder: an evidence-based approach on the role of parents].

L'adolescence est une période de grands changements et de ce fait potentiellement de grande vulnérabilité. Ainsi, les bouleversements physiques et psychiques induits par les processus pubertaires sont un terrain propice à l'émergence d'un trouble des conduites alimentaires (TCA). La thérapie familiale selon Maudsley, ou family based treatment (FBT), a émergé en parallèle aux avancées neurobiologiques, qui confirment une origine multifactorielle des troubles du comportement alimentaire. Cette thérapie replace les parents au centre de la prise en charge des adolescents souffrant d'un TCA avec comme grand atout, une approche basée sur l'évidence scientifique. Adolescence is a time of great change and therefore, potentially of great vulnerability. Thus, physical and psychological changes induced by pubertal processes are fertile ground for the emergence of an eating disorder (ED). Family therapy according to Maudsley or "family based treatment" (FBT) has emerged in parallel with neurobiological advances confirming a multifactorial origin of eating disorders. This therapy places parents at the centre of care for adolescents with EDs. Its great asset is the evidence-based approach underpinning the therapy.

Olfaction in eating disorders and abnormal eating behavior: a systematic review.

The study provides a systematic review that explores the current literature on olfactory capacity in abnormal eating behavior. The objective is to present a basis for discussion on whether research in olfaction in eating disorders may offer additional insight with regard to the complex etiopathology of eating disorders (ED) and abnormal eating behaviors. Electronic databases (Medline, PsycINFO, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science) were searched using the components in relation to olfaction and combining them with the components related to abnormal eating behavior. Out of 1352 articles, titles were first excluded by title (n = 64) and then by abstract and fulltext resulting in a final selection of 14 articles (820 patients and 385 control participants) for this review. The highest number of existing literature on olfaction in ED were carried out with AN patients (78.6%) followed by BN patients (35.7%) and obese individuals (14.3%). Most studies were only conducted on females. The general findings support that olfaction is altered in AN and in obesity and indicates toward there being little to no difference in olfactory capacity between BN patients and the general population. Due to the limited number of studies and heterogeneity this review stresses on the importance of more research on olfaction and abnormal eating behavior.

A measure of dysfunctional eating-related cognitions in people with psychotic disorders.

Obesity and binge eating disorder are common in individuals with psychotic disorders. Eating and weight-related cognitions are known to influence eating behaviors. The study was designed to assess the psychometric properties of the Mizes Anorectic Cognitions Questionnaire (MAC-R) in patients with psychotic disorders. Binge eating disorder (BED), body mass index (BMI), the MAC-R and the three factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) were assessed in 125 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Whereas the MAC-R has not acceptable psychometric properties, a brief version of the MAC-R (BMAC) has good psychometrical properties and is correlated with TFEQ and BMI. Binge eating disorder is also correlated to the Rigid Weight Regulation and Fear of Weight Gain subscale. The BMAC is a useful brief measure to assess eating and weight related cognitions in people with psychotic disorders.