Abstract
Obesity rates are rising worldwide. Executive function and delay discounting have been hypothesized to play important roles in the self-regulation of behavior, and may explain variance in weight loss treatment success. First, we compared individuals with obesity (n = 82) to healthy weight controls (n = 71) on behavioral and self-report measures of executive function (working memory, inhibition and shifting) and delay discounting. Secondly, the individuals with obesity took part in a multidisciplinary weight loss program and we examined whether executive function and delay discounting predicted weight change. Individuals with obesity displayed weaker general and food-specific inhibition, and weaker self-reported executive function. Better behavioral working memory and better self-reported inhibition skills in daily life were predictive of greater weight loss. As findings are correlational, future studies should investigate the causal relationship between executive function and weight loss, and test whether intervening on executive function will lead to better prevention and treatment of obesity.
Highlights
The worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity is high with 37% of adults experiencing overweight or obesity (Ng et al, 2014)
Future studies should investigate the causal relationship between executive function and weight loss, and test whether intervening on executive function will lead to better prevention and treatment of obesity
Behavioral working memory correlated moderately with all other predictors, indicating that better performance on the 2-back task was related to better performance on the other executive function tasks, less delay discounting and better self-reported executive function
Summary
The worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity is high with 37% of adults experiencing overweight or obesity (Ng et al, 2014). Being overweight places individuals at risk of cardiovascular diseases, various forms of cancer, diabetes mellitus type II and musculoskeletal disorders (Lim et al, 2013). To achieve weight loss, one needs to reduce caloric intake, increase physical activity, or do both. In practice, the prevention and treatment of obesity is not as straightforward. While many individuals may engage in weight loss attempts (De Ridder et al, 2014) about 80% of overweight dieters are not able to maintain their weight loss in the long run (Wing & Phelan, 2005). Given the considerable health implications of obesity, it is important to find out what determines treatment success and successful weight loss
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