Trastornos del ánimo, nutrición y craving

Abstract

Objectives: The relationship between food intake alterations and mood disorders is a well-known phenomenon for various clinicians. However, these phenomena have been scarcely studied to date. The methods of evaluation of craving are diverse, generating heterogeneous and superficial findings. A more refined analysis of the phenomenology of craving and the various relationships between nutrition and mood disorders, specifically Bipolar Disorder (BPD), are the objetives of the present review. Method: A narrative review was carried out through a non-systematic search of the literature through the MEDLINE database, using MeSH terms. Results: The results in this area to date are scarce and diverse. We evaluated the evidence to date about the bidirectional relationship between BPD and nutrition, and Eating Disorders (ED), specifically, Binge Eating Disorder (BEA). On the other hand, the literature was revised in terms of understanding the concept of craving for carbohydrates, its neurobiology, and its relationships with mood disorders, specifically BPD. Conclusions: Despite being concepts and relationships long-known by clinicians dedicated to mood disorders, literature and research was quite limited in relation to this. Independent academic efforts remain pending to continue developing in the understanding of the intimate mechanisms of these disorders, their clinical phenomena and diverse relationships, considering the important implications that they may have on the diagnosis, evolution and therapies of patients.