Abstract
BackgroundEmotional eating (EmE) is characterized by an over consumption of food in response to negative emotions and is associated with an increased weight status. Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) or a low level of impulsivity could influence the association between EmE and weight status. The objective was to analyze the moderating influence of CFC and impulsivity on the relationship between EmE and BMI.MethodsA total of 9974 men and 39,797 women from the NutriNet-Santé cohort study completed the revised 21-item Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire to assess their EmE, the CFC questionnaire (CFC-12) to assess their level of time perspective, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) to assess their impulsivity. Weight and height were self-reported each year over a median follow-up of 5.3 years. The associations between EmE and repeated measures of BMI were estimated by multiple linear mixed-effects regression models stratified by gender, tertiles of the CFC, or tertiles of the BIS-11, taking into account sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.ResultsOverall, EmE was positively associated with BMI. CFC and impulsivity did not moderate the effect of EmE on changes of BMI per year, but quantitatively moderated the effect of EmE on overall BMI. In women, the strength of the association between EmE and weight status increased with CFC level. Difference of BMI slopes between a low and a high level of CFC was − 0.43 kg/m2 (95% CI: -0.55, − 0.30) (p < .0001). In addition, the strength of the association between emotional eating and weight status increased with impulsivity level. Difference of BMI slopes between a low and a high level of impulsivity was + 0.37 kg/m2 (95% CI: 0.24, 0.51) (p < .0001). In men, only individuals with a low CFC presented a stronger association of EmE with BMI.ConclusionsImpulsivity and consideration of future consequences moderated the association between emotional eating and body weight status. This study emphasizes the importance of taking into account psychological traits in obesity prevention.
Highlights
Emotional eating (EmE) is characterized by an over consumption of food in response to negative emotions and is associated with an increased weight status
Emotional eating (EmE), which is defined as eating in response to negative emotions was found to be positively associated with the intake of specific food groups such as high-fat and energy-dense snack foods [4,5,6,7,8] or sweet and fatty foods, no association appeared with total energy or macronutrients [5, 9, 10]
Women were younger, fewer had a primary or secondary level of education, were less often retired, had a lower monthly household income, had a higher frequency of smoking, lower physical activity, and dieting, had a lower BMI at baseline, and were less often overweight. In addition they had a lower level of Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC), a higher level of impulsivity, and a higher EmE score
Summary
Emotional eating (EmE) is characterized by an over consumption of food in response to negative emotions and is associated with an increased weight status. Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) or a low level of impulsivity could influence the association between EmE and weight status. The objective was to analyze the moderating influence of CFC and impulsivity on the relationship between EmE and BMI. EmE has been repeatedly found to be associated with weight status [16,17,18], BMI [7, 19,20,21,22], and with weight gain over a 2-year [23] and a 20-year [22, 24] follow-up periods. EmE appeared to fully mediate the relationship between personality factors such as neuroticism, low self-esteem and fear of intimacy, and weight loss following bariatric surgery and weight-loss program [25]
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