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An estimated 50% of pregnancies in the U.S. are associated with maternal weight gain that exceeds Institute of Medicine recommendations. The numerous adverse consequences of obesity in gestation, delivery and the postpartum have been widely documented. The role of excess gestational weight gain (GWG) as a predictor of lifetime obesity risk in mothers and their children is also increasingly recognized. Cravings and negative affect are commonly cited triggers of overconsumption in pregnant women. We sought to examine the role of food craving frequency as a mediator in the relation between emotional eating and excess GWG. In this cross-sectional study, pregnant women (n = 113) completed the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, a measure of "restrained," "emotional," and "external" eating styles, along with the Food Craving Inventory, which quantifies cravings for "high fat foods," "fast food fats," "carbohydrates/starches," and "sweets." Participants also reported on pre-pregnancy weight and height, and GWG at the time of survey completion. Data supported the hypothesized mediation model, with frequency of "high fat foods" cravings fully mediating the relationship between "emotional" eating and excess GWG (Sobel test z = 2.40, p = .016). This study addresses the striking dearth of research examining potentially modifiable psychosocial predictors of excess GWG. Future longitudinal research should examine if salient affective states trigger food cravings, thus placing pregnant women at increased risk of excess weight gain. Findings have implications for treatment interventions targeting excess GWG, suggesting a need to teach skills to help patients better manage low moods and cravings., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Currently, more than 50% of American women gain an excessive amount of weight during pregnancy as per guidelines established by the Institute of Medicine and American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology. This excess gestational weight gain (GWG) is associated with health complications in both mothers and children. This study sought to examine the hypothesized causal role of cravings in excess GWG. Pregnant women were recruited from a local hospital (n = 40) and via posts on pregnancy-related websites (n = 43). Weight (current and pregravid) and height data were collected to calculate body mass index (BMI) and recommended versus excess GWG. Participants completed the Food Craving Inventory (FCI), which quantifies "frequency" of cravings for specific foods and the likelihood of "giving in" to these cravings. Overweight/obesity prior to pregnancy was reported by 40.5%-57.9% of participants. At the time of survey completion, 19.5% of online and 31.6% of hospital respondents had gained more than the recommended amount of weight for their stage of gestation. All women had experienced and given in to at least one craving, with cravings for "sweets" and "fast foods" being most common. Craving "frequency" accounted for a substantial portion of variance in excess GWG (25.0% in the online sample and 32.0% in respondents recruited at the hospital). Frequency of "giving in" to cravings accounted for 35.0% of the variance in excess GWG in the online sample only. Findings suggest that both craving frequency and consumption of craved foods may increase risk of excess GWG, providing support for the development of interventions targeting cravings in pregnancy as potentially modifiable determinants of energy intake., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Chocolate craving in women has previously been linked to disordered eating behaviors. A relatively higher prevalence of eating disorder pathology may account for the fact that chocolate craving is significantly more common in women in North America, compared to many other countries. While support for a causal role of disordered eating in the etiology of craving in women is growing, little is known about the extent to which food cravings are associated with disordered eating behaviors in men. This study was designed to systematically assess the impact of gender and chocolate craving on measures of attitudes to chocolate, responsiveness to food cues in the environment, body shape dissatisfaction, dietary restraint, and eating disorder and general pathology. Undergraduate men and women (n = 645, 37.2% male) were invited to complete self-report questionnaires assessing demographics, height and weight, food cravings, dietary attitudes and behaviors, along with eating disorder and general pathology. Data suggest that the relationship between chocolate craving and disordered eating behaviors in men is the opposite of what has previously been observed in women: compared to non-cravers, male chocolate cravers reported significantly more guilt related to craving, but were significantly less likely to diet and reported lower levels of dietary restraint, less frequent weight fluctuations, and fewer symptoms of eating disorders. Findings indicate that a positive relationship between disordered eating behaviors and chocolate craving may be unique to women (and potentially women in North America). Findings have important implications for our understanding of cultural and psychosocial factors involved in the etiology of food cravings., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)