Women struggling with a high amount of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms appear to be at three times the risk of developing food addictions, according to a new study.

Their results coincide with a growing body of evidence that links PTSD to related factors, such as obesity and binge eating. Researchers say that this added insight could help inform treatment methods for professionals who might encounter patients with the comorbid diagnoses.

These findings also support evidence that food addiction is a real phenomena, complete with physical and emotional withdrawal should certain food be removed from a person’s diet. According to the study’s authors, there are some among the eating disorder specialists who question the notion of food addictions.

PTSD can occur after a single horrific event – natural disasters or violent acts, for example – or after a series of events, such as child abuse or domestic abuse. It is an anxiety disorder that is believed to develop as a result of changes in areas of the brain associated with regulating fight or flight responses, emotional processing and memory formation. As a result, people with the disorder can experience debilitating anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares and hypervigilance.

The study was conducted using a survey from a longitudinal study on nurses’ health that began in 1989. The survey was given to 49,400 nurses in 2008-2009.

One third of the women in the study showed no signs of PTSD and of this group, only six percent presented symptoms of food addiction. 10 percent of the women scored between a six and seven on a seven point screening test for PTSD. Of this 10 percent, 18 percent had some kind of food addiction.

Researchers are unable to determine exactly why this connection exists. They do not know if one causes the other or if certain women are just more prone to developing these specific disorders. It is also possible that the development of one could make one more prone to the development of the other, researchers say, but there is no evidence to support any conclusion in this matter.