--- title: Study Links PTSD With Food Addiction in Women description: A study has found that women suffering from the worst symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are twice as likely to be addicted to food canonical: https://time.com/3395346/ptsd-food-addiction-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-over-eating-obesity/ author: Helen Regan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-18T09:36:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T10:15:40.438Z article:section: Health og:title: Study Links PTSD With Food Addiction og:description: A new study finds that women who suffer from the worst symptoms of PTSD are twice as likely to be addicted to food. og:url: https://time.com/3395346/ptsd-food-addiction-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-over-eating-obesity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84b27599c0a22627/6986a3fcadae446777545036/480823153.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5616 og:image:height: 3159 og:image:alt: 480823153 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Study Links PTSD With Food Addiction twitter:description: A new study finds that women who suffer from the worst symptoms of PTSD are twice as likely to be addicted to food. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84b27599c0a22627/6986a3fcadae446777545036/480823153.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # PTSD Is Linked to Food Addiction in Women, New Study Finds > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=cdf89e04-02b8-49b4-9ec3-de48c295d887&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=cdf89e04-02b8-49b4-9ec3-de48c295d887&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=cdf89e04-02b8-49b4-9ec3-de48c295d887&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Sep 18, 2014 9:36 AM UTC  Full length of overweight woman measuring weight against wall at home Full length of overweight woman measuring weight against wall at homeGetty Images by [Helen Regan](https://time.com/author/helen-regan/) ## Helen Regan Sep 18, 2014 9:36 AM UTC A new study published in [_JAMA Psychiatry_](http://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1904804) has found that women who suffer from the worst symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are twice as likely to be addicted to food than those who do not, [Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/17/us-ptsd-food-idUSKBN0HC2B420140917) reports. Researchers link symptoms of PTSD in women to a psychological dependence on food, or food addiction. But the study doesn’t mean that there is a direct connection between PTSD and overeating. “We don’t know if it’s causal. It’s an interesting relationship and probably worth following up,” Susan Mason, from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, told Reuters. To find out whether women were more likely to have a food addiction, in 2008 researchers asked 49,408 female nurses about PTSD symptoms. A year later they then asked the same group about food addiction. They found the more symptoms of PTSD a woman had, the more likely it was for her to be addicted to food. The findings could help doctors treat women with eating disorders, reports _Reuters_. “Clinicians may be able to look for that information to deliver better care,” Mason said. Researchers still don’t know what occurs first — food addiction or PTSD — but they hope the study will help them connect the dots. “I just want this to add to a lot of research that people’s weight status is not just a symptom of willpower and education,” Mason said. “There may be psychological factors in play too.” \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/17/us-ptsd-food-idUSKBN0HC2B420140917)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3395346/ptsd-food-addiction-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-over-eating-obesity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3395346/ptsd-food-addiction-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-over-eating-obesity/"},"headline":"PTSD Is Linked to Food Addiction in Women, New Study Finds","datePublished":"2014-09-18T09:36:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T10:15:40.438Z","description":"\"Weight status is not just a symptom of willpower and education,\" a researcher says. \"There may be psychological factors in play too\"","url":"https://time.com/3395346/ptsd-food-addiction-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-over-eating-obesity/","keywords":["Mental Health/Psychology","PTSD","study","Addiction","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84b27599c0a22627/6986a3fcadae446777545036/480823153.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Helen Regan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/helen-regan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84b27599c0a22627/6986a3fcadae446777545036/480823153.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"480823153","caption":"480823153","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/mental-healthpsychology/","name":"Mental Health/Psychology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3395346/ptsd-food-addiction-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-over-eating-obesity/","name":"PTSD Is Linked to Food Addiction in Women, New Study Finds"}}]}] ```