title: 'Food addiction' and its association with a dopaminergic multilocus genetic profile.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our objective was to employ a novel genetic methodology - whereby functional variants of the dopamine pathway were aggregated to reflect a polygenic liability - in the study of food addiction. We anticipated that the composite index of elevated dopamine signaling (a multilocus genetic profile score [MLGP]) would distinguish those with a designation of food addiction (according to the Yale Food Addiction Scale [YFAS] criteria), and age and weight equivalent controls. Our second aim was to assess whether this index was positively associated with eating-related sub-phenotypes of food addiction (e.g. binge eating and food cravings).
  
  
  METHODS
  Adults (n=120) recruited from the community were solicited for an overeating/overweight study. Eating-behavior questionnaires were completed and a blood sample was taken for genotyping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The YFAS identified 21 participants with food addiction. As predicted, the MLGP score was higher in those with YFAS-diagnosed food addiction, and it correlated positively with binge eating, food cravings, and emotional overeating. We then tested a multiple-mediation model proposing that reward-driven overeating facilitates the relationship between the MLGP score and food addiction. The model was statistically significant, supporting the view that the relationship between a composite genetic index of dopamine signaling and food addiction is mediated by certain aspects of reward-responsive overeating.
authors.affiliation: School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, York University, Toronto, Canada; The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada. cdavis@yorku.ca
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Natalie J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Loxton
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Levitan
authors.forename: Allan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Jacqueline C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: James L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific / Q000235:genetics; D004298:Dopamine / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics; D012306:Risk; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; C493214:SLC6A3 protein, human; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase; D015252:Deoxyribonucleases, Type II Site-Specific; C027046:TCGA-specific type II deoxyribonucleases; D004298:Dopamine
keywords: Dopamine; Food addiction; Genetics; Mediation