Dietary Disinhibition Research Articles

Healthful Eating Behaviors among Couples Contribute to Lower Gestational Weight Gain.

Through longitudinal analysis from the GLOWING cohort study, we examined the independent and joint relationships between couples' eating behaviors and gestational weight gain (GWG). Pregnant persons (n = 218) and their non-pregnant partners (n = 157) completed an Eating Inventory. GWG was calculated as gestation weight at 36 weeks minus that at 10 weeks. General linear models were used to examine the relationships between GWG and the pregnant persons, non-pregnant partners, and couples (n = 137; mean of pregnant persons and non-pregnant partners) cognitive restraint (range 0-21), dietary disinhibition (range 0-18), and perceived hunger (range 0-14), with higher scores reflecting poorer eating behaviors. The adjusted models included race/ethnicity, education, income, marital status, and age. The pregnant persons and their non-pregnant partners' cognitive restraint, dietary disinhibition, and perceived hunger scores were 9.8 ± 4.7, 4.8 ± 3.2, and 4.4 ± 2.5 and 6.6 ± 4.6, 5.4 ± 3.4, and 4.7 ± 3.2, respectively. Higher cognitive restraint scores among the pregnant persons and couples were positively associated with GWG (p ≤ 0.04 for both). Stratified analyses revealed this was significant for the pregnant persons with overweight (p ≤ 0.04). The non-pregnant partners' eating behaviors alone were not significantly associated with GWG (p ≥ 0.31 for all). The other explored relationships between GWG and the couples' eating behaviors were insignificant (p ≥ 0.12 for all). Among the pregnant persons and couples, reduced GWG may be achieved with higher levels of restrained eating. Involving non-pregnant partners in programs to optimize GWG may be beneficial.

RF24 | PSUN127 Congenital Leptin Deficiency: Metabolic, Reproductive, and Psychological Impacts of Therapy

Abstract Background Congenital leptin deficiency (CLD) is a rare autosomal recessive form of monogenic obesity caused by loss-of-function mutations in the leptin gene. Monogenic obesity disorders, including CLD, have been reported to be prevalent among children with severe obesity in a consanguineous Pakistani population. Targeted therapy is available in the form of recombinant human leptin (metreleptin). We previously reported baseline characteristics of the first cases of CLD identified in the United States, sisters of Pakistani origin with a family history of consanguinity. This report provides follow-up after 18 months of metreleptin therapy in an observational research protocol. Clinical Case Two sisters ages 18 yrs (A; BMI 45.2 kg/m2) and 20 yrs (B; 45.0 kg/m2) were referred for evaluation of obesity. Both had hyperphagia and excessive weight gain by age 3 months. They had been treated with combination OCPs in adolescence due to primary amenorrhea and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Sister A was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 15 years and was treated with metformin and liraglutide with suboptimal glycemic control (HbA1C 9.3%). At the time of their initial evaluation, serum leptin levels were undetectable. After discontinuing OCPs, testing confirmed hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Both patients were homozygous for the pathogenic variant c398delG in exon 3 of the leptin gene (LEP), which causes a frameshift/premature stop codon. Treatment was initiated with metreleptin 5 mg daily SC in Sister A and 3.75 mg SC daily, increasing to 5 mg daily at Week 8 in Sister B. Both remained on therapy throughout the 18 month observational trial without serious adverse effects or clinical evidence of neutralizing antibodies. At study end, both had substantial weight loss (Sister A: 45.3 kg or 32.8% of initial weight, Sister B: 39.1 kg or 33.1% of initial weight). Clinically significant improvements in related parameters were observed, including percent body fat (Sister A: -13%, Sister B: -18%), HOMA2-IR (A: -83%, B: -80%), ALT (A: -90%, B: -91%), triglycerides (A: -47%, B: -26%), hsCRP (A: -80%, B: -84%), FGF-21 (A: -81%, B: -67%), and adiponectin (A: +42%, B: +37%). In both sisters, hepatic steatosis improved and bone mineral density increased (A: +0.7 SD, B: +0.6 SD). At study end, Sister A's HbA1C was 5.4% off medication. Spontaneous regular menses resumed after 3 months of therapy in Sister A and four months in Sister B. Improvements were observed in mood, self-esteem, physical function, energy, quality of life, dietary disinhibition, and perceived hunger, measured by validated questionnaires. Conclusion Metrelepin produced significant improvements in weight, metabolic profiles, hepatic steatosis, reproductive function, mood and quality of life in our patients. Given the efficacy of metreleptin therapy, screening for CLD should be undertaken for any patient presenting with hyperphagia and early onset of obesity. Presentation: Sunday, June 12, 2022 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Sunday, June 12, 2022 1:24 p.m. - 1:29 p.m.

The effect of emotional eating on body weight and eating habits in adults

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of emotional nutrition on body weight and eating habits in adults. 2461 volunteers between the ages of 18-and 65 (40.7±13.6 years) participated in this cross-sectional study (M=677, F=1784). Research data were collected with a face-to-face questionnaire. The participants' nutritional habits and status were evaluated with the three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) and a 24-hour dietary recall form. The “International Physical Activity Assessment Questionnaire - Short Form” was used to determine the physical activity level of individuals. Body mass index was calculated by measuring height and body weight. At the end of the study, it was found that 34.5% of the participants were overweight, and 25.1% were obese. The uncontrolled eating and hunger score were significantly higher, whereas it was low in cognitive restraint in individuals who consumed grains as much or more than recommended (p<0.05). And higher cognitive restraint score was found in those who stated that they consumed the milk and dairy products, vegetable and fruit groups as much or more than recommended and the grains less than recommended (p<0.05). In addition, dietary disinhibition (OR=1.142, 95% CI=1.097-1.189), cognitive restriction (OR=1.076, 95% CI=1.050-1.103) and fasting (OR=1.084, 95% CI=1.033-1.137) scores of TEFQ sub-factors been shown to significantly increase the risk of being overweight/obese (p<0.001). These results show that emotional eating has a significant effect on body weight. For this reason, a multidisciplinary approach is required to evaluate the effect of diet therapy and nutrition on the patient and take into account the patient's emotional state, especially in the treatment and control of obesity.

One Year Follow-Up of Taste-Related Reward Associations with Weight Loss Suggests a Critical Time to Mitigate Weight Regain Following Bariatric Surgery.

Background: Weight regain is a concerning issue in bariatric patients. We previously demonstrated that taste-related reward processing was associated with six-month weight loss outcomes following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) but not vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG). Here, we assessed whether these taste factors persisted in predicting weight loss, and weight regain, at one year post-surgery. Methods: Adult women enrolled in a longitudinal study of taste preferences following bariatric surgery completed behavioral and neuroimaging assessments at one year post-surgery. Results: RYGB produced better weight loss relative to VSG, with weight regain and greater weight loss variability observed from six months to one year post-VSG. Changes in liking for high fat at 2 weeks post-surgery from baseline remained a predictor of weight loss in RYGB, but other predictors did not persist. Average liking ratings rebounded to baseline and higher self-reported food cravings and dietary disinhibition correlated with poorer weight loss at one year post-surgery. Conclusion: Initial anatomical and metabolic changes resulting from RYGB that reset neural processing of reward stimuli in the mesolimbic pathway appear to be temporary and may be contingent upon post-operative eating behaviors returning to preoperative obesogenic tendencies. Six months post-surgery may be a critical window for implementing interventions to mitigate weight gain.

Consumption of a Variety of Vegetables to Meet Dietary Guidelines for Americans' Recommendations Does Not Induce Sensitization of Vegetable Reinforcement Among Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Food reinforcement, or the motivation to obtain food, can predict choice and consumption. Vegetable consumption is well below recommended amounts for adults, so understanding how to increase vegetable reinforcement could provide valuable insight into how to increase consumption. We sought to determine whether daily consumption of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommendations for vegetable intake induces sensitization of vegetable reinforcement in adults with overweight and obesity. Healthy adults with a BMI ≥ 25kg/m2 who consumed≤1 cup-equivalent of vegetables/day were randomly assigned to a vegetable intervention (VI; n=55) or an attention control (AC; n=55) group. The VI consisted of the daily provision of vegetables in the amounts and types recommended by the DGA (∼270g/day) for 8 weeks. Participants were followed for an additional 8 weeks to assess sustained consumption. Compliance was measured weekly by resonance Raman light-scattering spectroscopy (RRS). Vegetable reinforcement was tested at weeks 0, 8, 12, and 16 using a computer choice paradigm. In the VI group, RRS intensity increased from week 0 to 8 (from 22,990 to 37,220), returning to baseline by week 16 (27,300). No change was observed in the AC group. There was no main effect of treatment (P=0.974) or time (P=0.14) and no treatment x time interaction (P=0.44) on vegetable reinforcement. There was no moderating effect of sex (P=0.07), age (P=0.60), BMI (P=0.46), delay discounting (P=0.24), 6-n-propylthiouracil taster status (P=0.15), or dietary disinhibition (P=0.82) on the change in vegetable reinforcement. These findings suggest no effects of the provision of a variety of vegetables to meet DGA recommendations for 8 weeks on vegetable reinforcement and highlight the difficulty in increasing vegetable consumption in adults. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02585102.

Appetite-Related Responses to Overfeeding and Longitudinal Weight Change in Obesity-Prone and Obesity-Resistant Adults.

Appetite responses to 3 days of overfeeding (OF) were examined as correlates of longitudinal weight change in adults classified as obesity prone (OP) or obesity resistant (OR). OP (n = 22) and OR (n = 30) adults consumed a controlled eucaloric and OF diet (140%of energy needs) for 3 days, followed by 3 days of ad libitum feeding. Hunger and satiety were evaluated by visual analog scales. Ghrelin and peptide YY (PYY) levels were measured during a 24-hour inpatient visit on day 3. Body weight and composition were measured annually for 4.0 ± 1.3 years. Dietary restraint and disinhibition were greater in OP than OR (mean difference: 3.5 ± 1.2 and 3.3 ± 0.9, respectively; P < 0.01) participants, and disinhibition was associated with longitudinal weight change (n = 48; r = 0.35; P = 0.02). Compared with the eucaloric diet, energy intake fell significantly in OR participants following OF (P = 0.03) but not in OP (P = 0.33) participants. Twenty-four-hour PYY area under the curve values increased with OF in OR (P = 0.02) but not inOP (P = 0.17) participants. Furthermore, changes in PYY levels with OF correlated with measured energy intake (r = -0.36; P = 0.01). Baseline disinhibition and PYY responses to OF differed between OP and OR adults. Dietary disinhibition was associated with 5-year longitudinal weight gain. Differences in appetite regulation may underlie differences in propensity for weight gain.

Effects of Liraglutide and Behavioral Weight Loss on Food Cravings, Eating Behaviors, and Eating Disorder Psychopathology.

This exploratory analysis examined the effects of intensive behavioral therapy (IBT) for obesity ("IBT-alone"), IBT plus liraglutide 3.0 mg/d ("IBT-liraglutide"), and IBT plus liraglutide 3.0 mg/d plus 12 weeks of a portion-controlled diet that provided 1,000 to 1,200 kcal/d ("Multicomponent") on changes in food cravings, eating behaviors, and eating disorder psychopathology at 24 and 52 weeks post randomization. Adults with obesity (mean age = 47.6 ± 11.8 years and BMI = 38.4 ± 4.9 kg/m2 ; 79.3% female; 54.0% non-Hispanic white; 44.7% black) were randomized to IBT-alone (n = 50), IBT-liraglutide (n = 50), or Multicomponent (n = 50). At weeks 24 and 52, liraglutide-treated groups reported significantly larger declines in weight concern relative to the IBT-alone group. At week 24, compared with IBT-alone, liraglutide-treated groups reported significantly greater reductions in dietary disinhibition, global eating disorder psychopathology, and shape concern. TheMulticomponent grouphad significantly greater reductions in binge eating at week 24 relative tothe IBT-alonegroup. However, differences among groups were no longer significant at week 52. Groups did not differ in total food cravings at week 24 or 52. The combination of liraglutide and IBT was associated with greater short-term improvements in dietary disinhibition, global eating disorder psychopathology, and shape concern than IBT alone.

Cognitive dietary restraint, disinhibition, and hunger are associated with 24-h energy expenditure.

Background:Higher energy expenditure (EE) is associated with greater food intake, possibly because the human body senses EE and modifies eating behaviors to regulate food intake and ultimately achieve energy balance. As eating behaviors are also influenced by social and cultural factors, any association between EE and eating behavior may differ between ethnicities and sexes.Objective:To assess relationships between EE and eating behavior constructs of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ).Subjects/Methods:307 healthy adults (201M/106F, 160 Native Americans) completed the TFEQ and had measures of 24-h EE in a whole-room calorimeter during energy balance. Body composition was assessed by DXA.Results:On average, adjusted 24-h EE was lower (β=−229 kcal/day, CI: −309-−148, p<0.001) but cognitive restraint (Δ=+1.5; CI: 0.5–2.5, p=0.003) and disinhibition (Δ=+2.1, CI: 1.3–2.8, p<0.001) scores were higher in women compared to men. In Native Americans, adjusted 24-h EE (β=+94 kcal/day, CI: 48–139, p<0.001) and disinhibition scores (Δ=+1.0, CI: 0.1–2.0, p=0.003) were higher compared to other ethnicities. Higher 24-h EE associated with lower cognitive restraint in women (ρ=−0.20, p=0.04), but not men (p=0.71; interaction term p=0.01) with no ethnic differences. Greater 24-h EE associated with higher disinhibition (ρ=0.20, p=0.001) and hunger cues (ρ=0.16, p=0.004) with no gender differences. These associations were primarily present in non-Native Americans (ρ=0.23, p=0.006 and ρ=0.25, p=0.003) but not observed in Native Americans (both p>0.40).Conclusions:Higher EE is associated with psychological constructs of eating behaviors that favors overeating including lower cognitive restraint, higher dietary disinhibition, and greater susceptibility to hungers cues, supporting the existence of energy-sensing mechanisms influencing human eating behavior. These associations were observed in ethnicities other than Native Americans, possibly explaining the contradictory relationships reported between EE and weight change in different ethnic groups. We propose that increased EE may alter eating behaviors, potentially leading to uncontrolled overeating and weight gain.

Dietary disinhibition mediates the relationship between poor sleep quality and body weight

BackgroundInadequate sleep independently influences eating habits and weight status. However, the relationship between these three factors has not been well quantified. The objective of this study was to examine if eating behavior (i.e. dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger) mediates the relationship between sleep and body mass index (BMI) in a large sample of American adults. MethodCross-sectional data from the Nathan Kline Institute Rockland sample were assessed (n = 602; 38.9 ± 14.5 years). Self-reported sleep and eating behavior were measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, respectively. Path analysis was used to examine relationships amongst the construct, with mediation tested via bootstrapped confidence intervals. ResultsPoorer sleep quality was associated with both greater hunger (P = 0.03) and higher disinhibited eating (overeating in the presence of palatable foods or other disinhibiting stimuli like emotional stress; P < 0.001) behaviors. Higher disinhibited eating behavior was also associated with higher BMI (P < 0.001). There was a significant indirect relationship between sleep quality and BMI via disinhibition (b [95% CI] = 0.13 [0.06, 0.21], P = 0.001). No significant effects were found when total sleep time or time in bed were replaced as predictors in the mediation model. ConclusionDisinhibited eating behavior mediated the relationship between sleep quality and weight status in both males and females. This mediation was due to aspects of sleep quality other than duration. These results suggest that improving sleep quality may benefit weight loss by helping to reduce an individuals’ susceptibility to overeating.

Exploring food reward and calorie intake in self-perceived food addicts

Previous research indicates that many people perceive themselves to be addicted to food. These ‘self-perceived food addicts’ may demonstrate aberrant eating patterns which put them at greater risk of overeating. However this is yet to be empirically investigated. The current study investigated whether self-perceived food addicts would exhibit higher food reward and calorie intake in a laboratory context relative to self-perceived non-addicts. A secondary aim was to investigate whether self-perceived food addicts would demonstrate increased food liking and/or increased hunger ratings. Finally, we explored whether self-perceived food addicts demonstrate patterns of aberrant eating, beyond that predicted by measures of trait dietary disinhibition and restraint. Female participants (self-perceived food addicts n = 31, non-addicts n = 29) completed measures of hunger, food reward (desire-to-eat, willingness-to-pay ratings, and an operant response task) and liking for high- and low-fat foods. Participants completed all measures when they were hungry, and again when they were satiated after consuming a fixed-lunch meal. Finally, participants were provided with ad-libitum access to high-and low-fat foods. Results indicated that self-perceived food addicts consumed more calories from high-fat food compared to non-addicts, despite the absence of any between-group differences in hunger or overall liking ratings. Self-perceived food addicts also displayed higher desire-to-eat ratings across foods compared to non-addicts, but groups did not differ on other measures of food reward. However, the differences in calorie intake and desire-to-eat between self-perceived food addicts and non-addicts were no longer significant after controlling for dietary disinhibition and restraint. These findings suggest that self-perceived food addicts experience food as more rewarding and have a tendency to overeat. However, this may be attributable to increased dietary disinhibition and decreased restraint rather than reflecting a unique pattern of aberrant eating behaviour.

Using food to soothe: Maternal attachment anxiety is associated with child emotional eating

Attachment anxiety (fear of abandonment) is associated with disinhibited eating in adults. Both maternal disinhibited eating and use of emotional feedings strategies are associated with emotional eating in children. On this basis, the current study sought to determine whether attachment anxiety is an underlying maternal characteristic that predicts parental reports of child emotional over-eating via its effects on maternal disinhibited eating and emotional feeding. Mothers of a preadolescent child (N = 116) completed an internet-delivered questionnaire. Maternal attachment anxiety and dietary disinhibition were assessed by the Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire and the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, respectively. The Parental Feeding Strategies Questionnaire and the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire were used to quantify emotional feeding and child emotional over-eating, respectively. Bias-corrected bootstrapping indicated a significant direct effect of maternal attachment anxiety on child emotional over-eating (i.e., controlling for maternal disinhibited eating and emotional feeding). There was also a significant indirect effect of maternal attachment anxiety on child emotional over-eating via emotional feeding strategies. In a subsequent model to investigate bi-directional relationships, the direct effect of maternal attachment anxiety on emotional feeding strategies was not statistically significant after controlling for child emotional over-eating. There was, however, a significant indirect effect of maternal attachment anxiety on emotional feeding strategies via child emotional over-eating. These findings highlight the influence of maternal attachment anxiety on parental reports of aberrant eating behaviour in children. While this may be partly due to use of emotional feeding strategies, there is stronger evidence for a “child-responsive” model whereby anxiously-attached mothers use these feeding practices in response to perceived emotional over-eating in the child.

Associations Among Self-Compassion, Eating Behaviors, and Stress in College Freshmen

Purpose: Few studies have investigated the potential relationship between self-compassion and eating behaviors. Self-compassion has been shown to improve one’s ability to respond more effectively to various situations and stressors by embracing the constructs of self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness. This study examined correlations between self-compassion, eating behaviors and stress in first-time college freshmen.Methods: First-time freshmen (N=1477), ages 18-22 years (63% female), self-reported measures of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Associations among PSS, SCS and TFEQ scores were examined with Pearson correlations by gender. Differences by gender were explored with t-tests.Results: There were significant (p &lt; 0.01) correlations between disinhibition and negative SCS constructs (self-judgment, r = 0.29; isolation, r = 0.23; over-identification, r = 0.28) and restraint and self-judgment in females (r = 0.26). Females scored significantly higher than males on PSS and negative SCS subscales (p &lt; 0.05).Conclusion: Interventions increasing self-compassion and reducing stress may optimally support psychological and behavioral wellbeing as students transition into college. Future research needs to understand how self-compassion interventions may attenuate the inimical cycle of dietary restraint and disinhibition in university students.

Smelling the goodness: Sniffing as a behavioral measure of learned odor hedonics.

Pairing an odor and taste can change ratings of the odor's perceptual and hedonic characteristics. Behavioral indices of such changes are lacking and here we measured sniffing to assess learned changes in odor liking due to pairing with sweet and bitter tastes. Participants were divided on their liking for sweetness, as well as dietary disinhibition (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-Disinhibition scale [TFEQ-D]), both of which influence hedonic odor-taste learning. In sweet likers, both sniff duration and peak amplitude increased for the sweet-paired odor. Sniff magnitude decreased for sweet- and quinine-paired odors in sweet-dislikers and sweet likers smelling the quinine-paired odor. In sweet-likers, liking for the sweet-paired odor increased with both TFEQ-D score and hunger, and sniff magnitude with TFEQ-D only. There were no predictors of changes in response to the quinine-paired odor. Brief coexperience of odors with sweet tastes can lead therefore to measurable changes in sniffing, providing a novel behavioral index of odor liking. (PsycINFO Database Record

Weighing the evidence: Variance in brain responses to milkshake receipt is predictive of eating behavior

Variations in brain responses to sensory stimuli are typically considered to lack information content and treated as “noise”. Alternatively, variable response patterns may reflect the adjustment of biological parameters to external factors. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging in healthy non-dieting individuals to test whether intra-individual variation in brain response to the receipt of milkshake is associated with a range of behavioral and metabolic parameters. We found that, following a meal, high variability in nucleus accumbens (NAcc) response to milkshake is associated with higher body mass index, greater dietary disinhibition, more variable ad libitum food consumption, faster increases in plasma insulin, faster decreases in plasma glucose, and greater weight loss over 1year. Our results thus uncover a series of physiological parameters encrypted as variable responses in NAcc to food stimuli. They also suggest that variations in striatal activity regulate the activation of behavioral and metabolic responses to food availability.

Mediation of Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance through Dietary Disinhibition and Restraint.

Understanding the degree to which eating behaviors, such as disinhibition and restraint, are associated with weight loss and weight loss maintenance could contribute to further refinement of effective weight management intervention strategies. The purpose of this analysis was to examine if these factors mediate weight loss or weight loss maintenance using data from a randomized controlled trial testing a commercial weight loss program that delivered behavioral counseling and structured meal plans including prepackaged foods. Mediation analyses were used to examine whether changes in disinhibition and restraint mediated the relationship between intervention and weight change during initial weight loss (0-6 months), continued weight loss (6-12 months), or weight loss maintenance (12-24 months) phases. Only decreases in disinhibition between baseline and 6 months mediated the intervention effect on initial weight loss. Our results suggest the mediation effects of these eating behaviors are modest and other factors contribute to a larger, more complex long-term weight loss prognosis.

Focusing on media body ideal images triggers food intake among restrained eaters: A test of restraint theory and the elaboration likelihood model

Although research consistently shows that images of thin women in the media (media body ideals) affect women negatively (e.g., increased weight dissatisfaction and food intake), this effect is less clear among restrained eaters. The majority of experiments demonstrate that restrained eaters – identified with the Restraint Scale – consume more food than do other participants after viewing media body ideal images; whereas a minority of experiments suggest that such images trigger restrained eaters' dietary restraint. Weight satisfaction and mood results are just as variable. One reason for these inconsistent results might be that different methods of image exposure (e.g., slideshow vs. film) afford varying levels of attention. Therefore, we manipulated attention levels and measured participants' weight satisfaction and food intake. We based our hypotheses on the elaboration likelihood model and on restraint theory. We hypothesised that advertent (i.e., processing the images via central routes of persuasion) and inadvertent (i.e., processing the images via peripheral routes of persuasion) exposure would trigger differing degrees of weight dissatisfaction and dietary disinhibition among restrained eaters (cf. restraint theory). Participants (N=174) were assigned to one of four conditions: advertent or inadvertent exposure to media or control images. The dependent variables were measured in a supposedly unrelated study. Although restrained eaters' weight satisfaction was not significantly affected by either media exposure condition, advertent (but not inadvertent) media exposure triggered restrained eaters' eating. These results suggest that teaching restrained eaters how to pay less attention to media body ideal images might be an effective strategy in media–literary interventions.

Appetite Response among Those Susceptible or Resistant to Obesity

An alternative approach in determining cause, treatment, and prevention of obesity is to study those who appear resistant to the obesogenic environment. We examined appetite responses in 33 obesity resistant individuals (ORI) versus 28 obesity susceptible individuals (OSI). Fingerprick blood samples to measure ghrelin, total peptide YY (PYY), leptin, glucose, and insulin along with appetite ratings were collected at baseline and 15, 30, 60, 120, and 180 min following consumption of a standardized meal. Fasting, area under the curve (AUC), peak/nadir, and time to peak/nadir were compared. Participants completed the three factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ). No significant differences were observed for ghrelin or PYY. Higher leptin concentrations in the OSI disappeared after controlling for percent body fat (%BF). Significant differences in appetite ratings included a lower hunger nadir among OSI compared with ORI (P = 0.017). Dietary restraint (P < 0.001) and disinhibition (P < 0.001) were lower in ORI compared with OSI, with and without adjustment for %BF. Given the differential body weight of the study groups, similar observed ghrelin concentrations were unexpected, perhaps indicating OSI and ORI respond differently to the same ghrelin concentration. Also ORI response to hunger appears different as they exhibit lower levels of dietary restraint and disinhibition compared with OSI.

Food reinforcement, dietary disinhibition and weight gain in nonobese adults

ObjectiveFood reinforcement is cross-sectionally related to body mass index and energy intake in adults, and prospectively predicts weight gain in children, but there has not been any research studying food reinforcement as a predictor of adult weight gain.Design and MethodsThis study examined whether the relative reinforcing value of food versus sedentary activities, as measured on a progressive ratio schedule, predicts 12 month weight gain. Dietary disinhibition and dietary restraint were also examined as potential moderators of this relationship, in a sample of 115 non-obese (Body Mass Index< 30) adults.ResultsIn a hierarchical regression controlling for baseline age and weight, dietary hunger, income, sex and minority status, food reinforcement significantly increased the variance from 6.3% to 11.7% (p = 0.01) and predicted weight gain (p = 0.01). Dietary disinhibition moderated this relationship (p = 0.02) and increased the variance an additional 4.7% (p = 0.02), such that individuals with high food reinforcement had greater weight gain if they were also high in disinhibition.ConclusionsThese results suggest that food reinforcement is a significant contributor to weight change over time, and food reinforcement may have the biggest effect on those who are most responsive to food cues.

Dietary disinhibition modulates neural valuation of food in the fed and fasted states

Dietary disinhibition is a behavioral trait associated with weight gain and obesity. Because food choices are made according to the relative value assigned to each option, examination of valuation signals through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may elucidate the neural basis for the association between dietary disinhibition and weight gain. We examined how food valuation signals differ in the fed and fasted states between persons with high dietary disinhibition (HD) and low dietary disinhibition (LD). Sixteen men with HD and 14 with LD underwent fMRI once while fasted and once after being fed in a counterbalanced order. In-scanner preference to consume a test food relative to a neutral-tasting, neutral-health reference food was examined. The slope of magnetic resonance signal change corresponding to these food preferences constituted the food valuation signal that was compared across disinhibition group and satiety state. Both the HD and LD participants reported being less hungry (F(1,28) = 113.11, P < 0.001) after being fed than when fasted. However, food valuation signals in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) differed between the groups (F(1,28) = 21.34, P < 0.001). Although LD participants showed attenuated vmPFC activity after being fed (t(13) = 4.11, P < 0.001), HD participants showed greater vmPFC activity in the fed than in the fasted state (t(15) = -2.56, P < 0.05). Despite reporting normal decreases in hunger ratings after being fed, persons with HD have an altered neural valuation of food. This may be a mechanism underlying their propensity to overeat and gain weight. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00988819.

Evaluating predictors of BMI. Cross-sectional evidence from a Chicago-based cohort

Given the prevalence of obesity and overweight, identifying behavioural phenotypes that are associated with weight gain should be given a high priority. In a large and representative sample, we sought to explore the extent to which a range of psychological and demographic variables are associated with body mass index (BMI; in kg/m 2 ). Participants ( N = 283; all females) were recruited from the Chicago area and comprised 118 obese, 69 overweight, and 96 normal-weight individuals. Self-reported eating rate was assessed, together with impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness scale version 11 and delay discounting), monetary loss aversion, dietary restraint, and dietary disinhibition. Contrary to previous accounts, our behavioural and self-report measures of impulsivity failed to explain variance in BMI. In this regard, only three variables were significant predictors; dietary disinhibition, highest level of educational qualification, and annual household income. Respectively, these variables accounted for 2%, 1.8%, and 4.3% of the variance in BMI across our sample. Importantly, dietary restraint does not account for relationships between BMI and our demographic variables, suggesting that education and income does not protect against increases in BMI by promoting cognitive restraint. Together, these data indicate that individual personality differences are, in relative terms, poor predictors of BMI and that studies should consider underlying differences that are promoted by socioeconomic status.