Originally published August 7 2005
Lovesick people find solace in food, survey says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A third of young people admit they turn to food when they are unhappy about their love lives, according to a new survey. The Priory Group, which treats people with eating disorders, questioned 1,000 people, and found those aged 15 to 24 had the worst relation with food.
The survey, commissioned by eating disorder specialist the Priory Group, found that over 11 million adults have issues or problems with food.
Sixty-three percent of adults said their self-esteem is affected when they feel overweight or out of shape it -- yet paradoxically, for 52 percent the instant, feel-good fix lies in chocolate.
You could describe this as being 'hungry for love'," said Dr Peter Rowan, consultant psychiatrist at the Priory Hospital Roehampton.
"Sadly, this form of comfort eating is bad for them, leading to a range of physical illnesses associated with obesity and with the development of eating disorders, which can be a severe form of mental illness."
According to the Royal College of Physicians, one in five British adults is obese, and if the problem is not addressed the figure could rise to one in three by 2020.
The survey equates eating junk food to a form of self-medication because of the instant feelings of comfort and reward it delivers.
Aside from junk food's weak nutritional profile and the fact it is generally laden with sugar, calories and trans- and saturated fats, in the long term overindulgence may lead to obesity, which has serious health consequences including increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.
"We learn from infancy and the gifts of our mothers to associate food with love.
This lesson is not modified with time and the gift of food is used to reward us and for us to reward others throughout our lives."
The worst affected age group is the 15 to 24 year-old, 61 percent of whom comfort eat with chocolate and 43 percent with fast food.
This is particularly worrying as, as these people are entering their child-bearing years and unless the problem is addressed, are likely to pass on their attitudes to the next generation.
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