Childhood Abuse Linked To Eating Disorders Among Adult Women

U.S. researchers have found a significant link between physical or sexual abuse during childhood and food addiction among adult women. The study analyzed data from 57,321 adults who took part in a nurses healthy study. Histories of physical and sexual abuse in 2001 and food addictions in 2009 were gathered. They found that women who had experienced physical or sexual abuse before age 18 were twice as likely to have a food addiction in middle adulthood than those without such as history. The researchers suggested that their findings indicate a need for careful screening of women with histories of trauma to help prevent addiction-like eating and treat any psychological impediments to weight loss.