Craving for carbs: food craving and disordered eating in low-carb dieters and its association with intermittent fasting

Abstract

Studies point to positive outcomes in a diet with reduction of carbohydrates and that the associated practice of intermittent fasting (IF) might increase weight loss. Although dieting might be related to disordered eating, little evidence is available about the role of restrictive carbohydrates diets on disordered eating. This study aimed to explore if doing low-carb (LC) diets was related to disordered eating and if IF would increase these symptoms. The sample comprised university students ( n = 682), with a mean age of 22 years old and average BMI of 23.6 kg/m 2 ( SD = 4.3). Twenty-seven percent ( n = 188) of respondents reported doing LC diet in the last three months. Of those, 31% ( n = 58) reported doing LC diet combined with periods of IF. Mean scores were compared using parametric tests, and effects size and correlations between variables were calculated. Dieters showed higher levels of binge eating, food cravings, cognitive restraint, cognitive restraint toward carbohydrates when compared to non-dieters. The association of LC and IF was related to an increase in disordered eating, especially binge eating and food cravings, specifically ‘Lack of control’, ‘Thoughts or preoccupation with food,’ and ‘Guilt from cravings and/or for giving in to them’. These results provide evidence that restrictive carbohydrate diets and IF may increase cognitive restraint and, consequently, food cravings. Level III : Evidence obtained from cohort or case-control analytic studies.

Cognitive carbohydrate restriction: a new proposal for the diet mentality in the era of low-carb diets

“…An example is question #3, “ I do not eat some foods because they make me fat ,” which was adapted to “ I do not eat some foods (source of carbohydrates) because they make me fat .” Low-carb dieters showed more remarkable cognitive restraint and more significant cognitive restriction of carbohydrates compared to non-dieters. Nevertheless, the overall score for cognitive restraint on carbohydrates correlated positively with guilt for food cravings in low-carb dieters 7 .…”

The role of cognitive restraint savings and the safety of ketogenic weight loss interventions

“…It is not worth to assume that a safe intervention will be effective for any individual. However, there will likely be an interaction between (i) eating history, (ii) cognitive-behavioral changes (such as disinhibition of eating behavior, increased fatphobic attitudes, intense food cravings, disconnection with internal signals, and changes in interoceptivity after many diets) [14][15][16] , and (iii) metabolic changes resulting from the length of time the individual follows the diet [16][17][18][19] .…”

Food Cravings and Obesity in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Pathophysiological and Therapeutic Considerations

“…Colombarolli et al investigated the role of a low-carbohydrate diet in food cravings. They found that a carbohydrate-restricted diet and intermittent fasting are related to increased rates of binge eating and food cravings compared to non-dieters [105]. However, these results were not confirmed in a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) conducted in overweight or obese patients with T2DM, where no difference was reported between a low-fat, high-protein diet and a low-fat, high-carbohydrate isocaloric diet for a reduction in sweet cravings, fast-food cravings, and the Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T), for a similar loss of weight [106].…”