Food craving (FC) has been linked todepressive mood before. However, no study exists evaluating FC in a sample of bipolar disorder (BD).

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of FC in individuals with BD during euthymia.

Fifty individuals with a BD diagnosis according to the DSM-IV guidelines were drawn from the dedicated outpatient center of the University Clinic of Psychiatry Graz. Data were compared with data from a healthy control sample (HC, n=50). All probands took part in the BIPFAT study exploring shared pathophysiological pathways of obesity and brain function in BD. Participants completed a comprehensive diagnostic battery (including the Food Craving Questionnaire by White et al. 2002) measuring anamnestic, anthropometric, and clinical data. We performed a MANCOVA controlling for key covariates including gender, age, body mass index, smoking, mood stabilizing medication, and lipid levels.

BD patients exhibited significantly more total food craving (F=6.10, p=.016) and more sweets craving than controls (F=6.38, p=.014). Additionally, levels of fat craving were higher by trend in the male patient group than in the male control group (F=3.15, p=.087).

A higher prevalence of FC in BD patients than in controls suggests that FC may be of clinical importance in BD. Potentially, FC plays a role in the development of obesity, a well-known risk factor for unfavorable course of illness in BD. Furthermore, the impact of dysfunctions in the serotonergic system and/or an altered activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in relationship to increased FC are critically discussed.