GENDER-BASED EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FOOD ADDICTION, EATING BEHAVIORS, AND METABOLIC INDICATORS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH OBESITY

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the gender-specific associations between food addiction (FA), eating attitudes, emotional eating, insulin resistance, and nutritional status in individuals with obesity.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 240 individuals with obesity (149 women, 91 men). Participants were assessed using the Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0), Emotional Eater Questionnaire (EEQ), Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), and Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait-reduced (FCQT-R). Anthropometric measurements were obtained and biochemical markers including fasting blood glucose, insulin, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), vitamin D, and cortisol levels were analyzed.Results: Food addiction was identified in 54.2% (n=130) of the participants, with a significantly higher prevalence in women than in men (65.8% vs. 35.2%, p