Chocolate Guilt’ and Body Image

According to French researchers, results from a recent study show that young women who crave chocolate and feel very guilty about it are significantly more likely to have some features of eating disorders. As reported at the American Psychiatric Association meeting (Abstract NR5-050) in San Francisco at the end of May, scores on the guilt component of a chocolate-craving questionnaire were strongly predictive of an eating disorder and body image dissatisfaction. Rachel Rodgers, a PhD student at the University of Toulouse, France, said that her findings highlight the negative feelings aspect that goes with body image concerns and that promotes the cycle of eating disorders.

The study involved a sample of 255 female students at the University of Toulouse, who were recruited from classes. The students completed the Orientation toward Chocolate Questionnaire, the uncontrolled eating subscale of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire and the body dissatisfaction subscale of the Eating Disorders Inventory II. Heights and weights were also reported. After controlling for body mass index, each of the three OCQ components was significantly correlated with scores on the uncontrolled eating and body image scales.