Relationships between impulsivity and eating behaviour under varying conditions of stress and food deprivation

Abstract

Observations from research on Bulimia nervosa characterized by binge eating with a preference for carbohydrates, high impulsivity and lack of self-control have led to the present investigation. Since both carbohydrate craving and impulsivity are linked to changes in serotonin brain levels, we tested the following hypotheses: (a) whether bulimic subjects would consume more food, in particular more carbohydrate-rich, sweet food than the other subjects, especially when they are subjected to a frustrating stressful task or preceding food deprivation and (b) whether subjects with high levels of impulsivity would consume more food, above all more sweet food, than low scoring subjects, especially under stress or after fasting. Three factor analyses (level of impulsivity, starvation, stress) revealed the following results: high impulsive fasting Bulimics exhibited a greater intake of food in general, and sweet food in particular, than the other three groups of Bulimics. Furthermore, this interaction was reversed in controls: non-fasting, high impulsive as well as fasting, low impulsive subjects consumed a greater percentage of sweets than the other two groups.