Women who suffered physical and sexual abuse in childhood are much more likely to battle against food addiction as adults.

Women who fight against physical and sexual abuse in their childhood are much more likely to battle against food addiction as adults than women who did not experience such violence, according to a new study. Women who had experienced physical abuse before the age of 18 were twice as likely to have food addiction in middle of adulthood compared with women without a history of childhood abuse. The liklihood of food addiction was increased further for women who had experienced both physical and sexual abuse in her childhood. The childhood abuse not only affected the mental health but also the physical health of the women. There has been a relevant link between childhood abuse and obesity. The cause of this link is probably due to the immense amount of stress leading to overeating of foods rich in fat or sugar.