The effect of restrained eating on acute stress-induced food intake in people with obesity

Abstract

Restrained eating, defined as a form of intense dieting or restrictive food intake of specific macronutrients or types of food with sporadic episodes of overeating, results in an increased risk of overweight and obesity. Acute stress situations cause irregular eating patterns and are connected to restrained eating. Therefore, the present study investigates the effect of high/low restrained eating on eating behavior in people with obesity after standardized acute stress induction as well as resting condition. Fifty men and women with obesity (BMI: 33.62 ± 3.93 kg/m2) were categorized into high restrained eaters (HRE) and low restrained eaters (LRE). The total energy intake was measured during a standardized laboratory meal after a resting and stress condition (Trier Social Stress Test) on two separate days. HRE and LRE showed differences in the total energy intake in response to acute stress but not after resting condition (F(1, 47) = 9.188, p = .004, η2 = 0.164). Lower total energy intake after stress compared to resting condition could be observed in HRE (t (23) = −2.617, p = .015). LRE showed higher total energy intake after stress than after resting condition (t (25) = 2.155, p = .041). The present data suggest that restrained eating behavior might be an influencing factor for stress-induced eating in obesity. It is highly necessary to understand the association between restrained eating behavior, acute stress and obesity for the improvement of the behavioral intervention of dietary restriction.