Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Gender differences in food craving among overweight and obese patients attending low energy diet therapy: a matched case–control study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This case–control study examined gender differences in food craving among a sample of overweight and obese patients attending low energy diet therapy. To disentangle the specific role of gender from the role of confounders, we paired groups for BMI, age and severity of binge eating as assed by the Binge Eating Scale (BES). The participants were 73 pairs of patients who were attending low energy diet therapy. All the participants were administered the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaire, trait version (FCQ-T) and the BES. Female patients had higher mean scores on six out of nine dimensions of the FCQ-T. When controlling for the effect of other variables, obese and overweight female patients were 1.1 times more likely to report higher anticipation of relief of negative states and feelings from eating than their male pairs. Obese and overweight female patients experience more cravings for food than their male pairs despite comparable severity of binge eating and obesity suggesting the need for tailored interventions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Weingarten HP, Elston D (1990) The phenomenology of food cravings. Appetite 15:231–246

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Weingarten HP, Elston D (1991) Food cravings in a college population. Appetite 17:167–175

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. White MA, Whisenhunt BL, Williamson DA, Greenway FL, Netemeyer RG (2002) Development and validation of the food-craving inventory. Obes Res 10:107–114

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cepeda-Benito A, Fernandez MC, Moreno S (2003) Relationship of gender and eating disorder symptoms to reported cravings for food: construct validation of state and trait craving questionnaires in Spanish. Appetite 40:47–54

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Rozin P, Levine E, Stoess C (1991) Chocolate craving and liking. Appetite 17:199–212

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Gendall KA, Sullivan PF, Joyce PR, Bulik CM (1997) Food cravings in women with a history of anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 22:403–409

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Moreno S, Rodriguez S, Fernandez MC, Tamez J, Cepeda-Benito A (2008) Clinical validation of the trait and state versions of the Food Craving Questionnaire. Assessment 15:375–387

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. van der Ster Wallin G, Norring C, Holmgren S (1994) Binge eating versus nonpurged eating in bulimics: is there a carbohydrate craving after all? Acta Psychiatr Scand 89:376–381

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Waters A, Hill A, Waller G (2001) Bulimics’ responses to food cravings: is binge-eating a product of hunger or emotional state? Behav Res Ther 39:877–886

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Moreno S, Warren CS, Rodriguez S, Fernandez MC, Cepeda-Benito A (2009) Food cravings discriminate between anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Implications for “success” versus “failure” in dietary restriction. Appetite 52:588–594

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. White MA, Grilo CM (2005) Psychometric properties of the Food Craving Inventory among obese patients with binge eating disorder. Eat Behav 6:239–245

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Fabbricatore M, Imperatori C, Pecchioli C, Micarelli T, Contardi A, Tamburello S et al (2011) Binge eating and BIS/BAS activity in obese patients with intense food craving who attend weight control programs. Obes Metab 7:e21–e27

    Google Scholar 

  13. Jarosz PA, Dobal MT, Wilson FL, Schram CA (2007) Disordered eating and food cravings among urban obese African American women. Eat Behav 8:374–381

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Davis C, Carter JC (2009) Compulsive overeating as an addiction disorder. A review of theory and evidence. Appetite 53:1–8

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Corsica JA, Pelchat ML (2010) Food addiction: true or false? Curr Opin Gastroenterol 26:165–169

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Meule A, Kubler A (2012) Food cravings in food addiction: the distinct role of positive reinforcement. Eat Behav 13:252–255

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. von Deneen KM, Liu Y (2011) Obesity as an addiction: why do the obese eat more? Maturitas 68:342–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Parylak SL, Koob GF, Zorrilla EP (2011) The dark side of food addiction. Physiol Behav 104:149–156

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Meule A (2011) How prevalent is “food addiction”? Front Psychiatry 2:61

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Davis C, Curtis C, Levitan RD, Carter JC, Kaplan AS, Kennedy JL (2011) Evidence that ‘food addiction’ is a valid phenotype of obesity. Appetite 57:711–717

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Vander Wal JS, Johnston KA, Dhurandhar NV (2007) Psychometric properties of the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaires among overweight and obese persons. Eat Behav 8:211–223

    Google Scholar 

  22. Fabbricatore M, Imperatori C, Morgia A, Contardi A, Tamburello S, Tamburello A et al (2011) Food craving and personality dimensions in overweight and obese patients attending low energy diet therapy. Obes Metab 7:e28–e34

    Google Scholar 

  23. Cepeda-Benito A, Gleaves DH, Fernandez MC, Vila J, Williams TL, Reynoso J (2000) The development and validation of Spanish versions of the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaires. Behav Res Ther 38:1125–1138

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Waters A, Hill A, Waller G (2001) Internal and external antecedents of binge eating episodes in a group of women with bulimia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord 29:17–22

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Flint A, Raben A, Blundell JE, Astrup A (2000) Reproducibility, power and validity of visual analogue scales in assessment of appetite sensations in single test meal studies. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 24:38–48

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Martin CK, O’Neil PM, Tollefson G, Greenway FL, White MA (2008) The association between food cravings and consumption of specific foods in a laboratory taste test. Appetite 51:324–326

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Delahanty LM, Meigs JB, Hayden D, Williamson DA, Nathan DM (2002) Psychological and behavioral correlates of baseline BMI in the diabetes prevention program (DPP). Diabetes Care 25:1992–1998

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Sitton SC (1991) Role of craving for carbohydrates upon completion of a protein-sparing fast. Psychol Rep 69:683–686

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Fabbricatore M, Imperatori C, Contardi A, Tamburello A, Innamorati M (2012) Food craving is associated with multiple weight loss attempts. Mediterr J Nutr Metab. doi:10.1007/s12349-012-0115-x

  30. Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Ogden CL (2012) Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index among US adults, 1999-2010. JAMA 307:491–497

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Kit BK, Flegal KM (2012) Prevalence of obesity in the United States, 2009–2010. NCHS Data Brief 1–8

  32. Sonneville KR, Horton NJ, Micali N, Crosby RD, Swanson SA, Solmi F et al (2013) Longitudinal associations between binge eating and overeating and adverse outcomes among adolescents and young adults: does loss of control matter? JAMA Pediatr 167:149–155

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Rolls BJ, Fedoroff IC, Guthrie JF (1991) Gender differences in eating behavior and body weight regulation. Health Psychol 10:133–142

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. De Young KP, Lavender JM, Anderson DA (2010) Binge eating is not associated with elevated eating, weight, or shape concerns in the absence of the desire to lose weight in men. Int J Eat Disord 43:732–736

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Keel PK, Baxter MG, Heatherton TF, Joiner TE Jr (2007) A 20-year longitudinal study of body weight, dieting, and eating disorder symptoms. J Abnorm Psychol 116:422–432

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Markey CN, Markey PM (2005) Relations between body image and dieting behaviors: an examination of gender differences. Sex Roles 53:519–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Striegel-Moore RH, Rosselli F, Perrin N, DeBar L, Wilson GT, May A et al (2009) Gender difference in the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms. Int J Eat Disord 42:471–474

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Lewinsohn PM, Seeley JR, Moerk KC, Striegel-Moore RH (2002) Gender differences in eating disorder symptoms in young adults. Int J Eat Disord 32:426–440

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Presnell K, Pells J, Stout A, Musante G (2008) Sex differences in the relation of weight loss self-efficacy, binge eating, and depressive symptoms to weight loss success in a residential obesity treatment program. Eat Behav 9:170–180

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Lafay L, Thomas F, Mennen L, Charles MA, Eschwege E, Borys JM et al (2001) Gender differences in the relation between food cravings and mood in an adult community: results from the fleurbaix laventie ville sante study. Int J Eat Disord 29:195–204

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Moore DJ, Zhang L (2010) Gender differences in food preferences: the role of emotional intensity, self-regulation, and appetitive craving. JABE 10:15–27

    Google Scholar 

  42. Pelchat ML (1997) Food cravings in young and elderly adults. Appetite 28:103–113

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  43. Zellner DA, Garriga-Trillo A, Rohm E, Centeno S, Parker S (1999) Food liking and craving: a cross-cultural approach. Appetite 33:61–70

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  44. Lavender JM, De Young KP, Anderson DA (2010) Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q): norms for undergraduate men. Eat Behav 11:119–121

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  45. Forrester-Knauss C (2012) Zemp Stutz E. Gender differences in disordered eating and weight dissatisfaction in Swiss adults: which factors matter? BMC Public Health 12:809

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Barry DT, Grilo CM, Masheb RM (2002) Gender differences in patients with binge eating disorder. Int J Eat Disord 31:63–70

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  47. Christensen L, Pettijohn L (2001) Mood and carbohydrate cravings. Appetite 36:137–145

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  48. Hormes JM, Rozin P (2009) Perimenstrual chocolate craving. What happens after menopause? Appetite 53:256–259

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Gormally J, Black S, Daston S, Rardin D (1982) The assessment of binge eating severity among obese persons. Addict Behav 7:47–55

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  50. Cepeda-Benito A, Gleaves DH, Williams TL, Erath SA (2000) The development and validation of the State and Trait Food-Cravings Questionnaires. Behav Ther 31:151–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Franken IH, Muris P (2005) Individual differences in reward sensitivity are related to food craving and relative body weight in healthy women. Appetite 45:198–201

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  52. Benjamini Y, Hochberg Y (1995) Controlling the False Discovery Rate: a practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J Roy Stat Soc B 57:289–300

    Google Scholar 

  53. Fortuna JL (2012) The obesity epidemic and food addiction: clinical similarities to drug dependence. J Psychoactive Drugs 44:56–63

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  54. Becker JB, Perry AN, Westenbroek C (2012) Sex differences in the neural mechanisms mediating addiction: a new synthesis and hypothesis. Biol Sex Differ 3:14

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Heatherton TF, Baumeister RF (1991) Binge eating as escape from self-awareness. Psychol Bull 110:86–108

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  56. Larsen JK, van Strien T, Eisinga R, Engels RC (2006) Gender differences in the association between alexithymia and emotional eating in obese individuals. J Psychosom Res 60:237–243

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Tanofsky MB, Wilfley DE, Spurrell EB, Welch R, Brownell KD (1997) Comparison of men and women with binge eating disorder. Int J Eat Disord 21:49–54

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  58. Parker G, Crawford J (2007) Chocolate craving when depressed: a personality marker. Br J Psychiatry 191:351–352

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Zellner DA, Loaiza S, Gonzalez Z, Pita J, Morales J, Pecora D et al (2006) Food selection changes under stress. Physiol Behav 87:789–793

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  60. Willner P, Benton D, Brown E, Cheeta S, Davies G, Morgan J et al (1998) “Depression” increases “craving” for sweet rewards in animal and human models of depression and craving. Psychopharmacology 136:272–283

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  61. Desai RA, Manley M, Desai MM, Potenza MN (2009) Gender differences in the association between body mass index and psychopathology. CNS Spectr 14:372–383

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Adam TC, Epel ES (2007) Stress, eating and the reward system. Physiol Behav 91:449–458

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  63. Geliebter A, Pantazatos SP, McOuatt H, Puma L, Gibson CD, Atalayer D (2013) Sex-based fMRI differences in obese humans in response to high vs. low energy food cues. Behav Brain Res 243:91–96

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Wang GJ, Volkow ND, Telang F, Jayne M, Ma Y, Pradhan K et al (2009) Evidence of gender differences in the ability to inhibit brain activation elicited by food stimulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106:1249–1254

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  65. Klump KL, Racine S, Hildebrandt B, Sisk CL (2013) Sex differences in binge eating patterns in male and female adult rats. Int J Eat Disord (in press)

  66. Reed SC, Levin FR, Evans SM (2008) Changes in mood, cognitive performance and appetite in the late luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle in women with and without PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). Horm Behav 54:185–193

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  67. Hargrove JT, Abraham GE (1982) The incidence of premenstrual tension in a gynecologic clinic. J Reprod Med 27:721–724

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  68. Dye L, Warner P, Bancroft J (1995) Food craving during the menstrual cycle and its relationship to stress, happiness of relationship and depression; a preliminary enquiry. J Affect Disord 34:157–164

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  69. Zellner DA, Garriga-Trillo A, Centeno S, Wadsworth E (2004) Chocolate craving and the menstrual cycle. Appetite 42:119–121

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Timmerman GM, Stevenson JS (1996) The relationship between binge eating severity and body fat in nonpurge binge eating women. Res Nurs Health 19:389–398

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  71. Soldatos C, Dikeos D, Paparrigopoulos T (2000) Athens Insomnia Scale: validation of an instrument based on ICD-10 criteria. J Psychosom Res 48:555–560

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  72. Colles SL, Dixon JB, O’Brien PE (2007) Night eating syndrome and nocturnal snacking: association with obesity, binge eating and psychological distress. Int J Obes (Lond) 31:1722–1730

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  73. Trace SE, Thornton LM, Runfola CD, Lichtenstein P, Pedersen NL, Bulik CM (2012) Sleep problems are associated with binge eating in women. Int J Eat Disord 45:695–703

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  74. Lyytikainen P, Lallukka T, Lahelma E, Rahkonen O (2011) Sleep problems and major weight gain: a follow-up study. Int J Obes (Lond) 35:109–114

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  75. Landis AM, Parker KP, Dunbar SB (2009) Sleep, hunger, satiety, food cravings, and caloric intake in adolescents. J Nurs Scholarsh 41:115–123

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  76. Forman EM, Hoffman KL, Juarascio AS, Butryn ML, Herbert JD (2013) Comparison of acceptance-based and standard cognitive-based coping strategies for craving sweets in overweight and obese women. Eat Behav 14:64–68

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Mariantonietta Fabbricatore, Claudio Imperatori, and Marco Innamorati contributed equally to this work. They contributed to the planning of the research design, interpretation of the data, and first drafting of the manuscript. Marco Innamorati performed the statistical analyses. All the authors contributed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Science, European University of Rome, Via degli Aldobrandeschi 190, 00163, Rome, Italy

    Claudio Imperatori, Marco Innamorati, Stella Tamburello, Massimo Continisio, Anna Contardi, Antonino Tamburello & Mariantonietta Fabbricatore

  2. Istituto Skinner, Rome/Naples, Italy

    Marco Innamorati, Stella Tamburello, Massimo Continisio, Anna Contardi, Antonino Tamburello & Mariantonietta Fabbricatore

Authors
  1. Claudio Imperatori
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Marco Innamorati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Stella Tamburello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Massimo Continisio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Anna Contardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Antonino Tamburello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Mariantonietta Fabbricatore
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Claudio Imperatori.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Imperatori, C., Innamorati, M., Tamburello, S. et al. Gender differences in food craving among overweight and obese patients attending low energy diet therapy: a matched case–control study. Eat Weight Disord 18, 297–303 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-013-0054-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-013-0054-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation