Impulsive Behavior Considered a Risk Factor for Eating Disorders

Past research has shown that people with eating disorders as well as those who suffer from obesity are more impulsive than healthy individuals. The Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the University of Cambridge sought more answers.

The researchers aimed to discover whether one's impulsivity was present before the development of an eating disorder, or if the disorder developed as a direct result of it. In the study, rats were tested to withhold an impulsive response when exposed to a diet high in sugar. For an hour every day, both high and low impulsive rats were exposed to either a highly palatable diet (high in sugar) or a regular chow diet.

The study revealed some telling answers regarding impulsivity and its effect on eating. Based on the rats' behavior, the researchers noted that impulsivity can predict the development of food addiction-like behaviors, including excessive intake, heightened motivation for food, and compulsive-like eating when exposed to the diet high in sugar.

Additionally, the researchers found that less impulsive rats possessed the ability to control their behavior when exposed to the diet high in sugar. They did not demonstrate abnormal eating behaviors like the high impulsive rats did. Through these experimental models, the researchers supported their hypothesis, "that a high impulsivity trait precedes and confers vulnerability for food addiction-like behavior," as stated in the study's abstract.

"Our results add further evidence to the idea that there are similar mechanisms involved in both drug and food addiction behavior," said Clara Velazquez-Sanchez, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Addictive Disorder and first author of the study, in this Boston University School of Medicine news release.

The impulsive models displayed an increased expression of the transcription factor Delta-FosB, which is located in the area of the brain responsible for reward evaluation and impulsive behavior. With this evidence, similar studies can be conducted on humans to potentially discover definitive answers.

The BUSM and University of Cambridge study was funded by five institutions and programs and included contributors from both universities.