Effects of anxiety on eating: Does palatability moderate distress-induced overeating in dieters?

Abstract

When confronted with an anxiety-producing threat to self-esteem, restrained eaters (dieters) increase their food consumption. The functional explanation suggests that increased eating temporarily counteracts or masks dysphoria for the restrained eater; externality or stimulus sensitivity theories propose that distress shifts the dieter's attention to external stimulus properties (e.g., taste) and to activities stimulated by such external cues. In an attempt to distinguish between these two explanations, anxious and nonanxious restrained and unrestrained eaters were given palatable and unpalatable foods, and consumption was measured. Results support the functional explanations: Distressed dieters increased their intake of food regardless of taste properties. Theoretical and practical implications for both restrained eating and the behavior of eating disorder patients are discussed.

Eating habits and attitudes and their relationship with Body Mass Index (BMI)

“…Furthermore, this variable also related positively to BMI in the men in the normal weight group. These conclusions had already been obtained in previous studies 24 . Resorting to ingestion as a way of controlling emotional problems results in the person being caught up in a vicious circle from which it is then very difficult to escape.…”

Relations between negative affect, coping, and emotional eating

“…In support, many experimental studies using the original Restraint Scale (RS; Herman, Polivy, Pliner, Threlkeld, & Munic, 1978) have found that restrained eaters show disinhibition of restraint under conditions of negative emotions, while non-restrained eaters decrease their eating or do not change their food intake (e.g., Polivy et al, 1994). However, the link between dietary restraint and overeating was not replicated in experimental studies in which the restraint scales of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ; Van Strien, Frijters, Bergers, & Defares, 1986) or the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ; Stunkard & Messick, 1985) were used (e.g., Chua, Touyz, & Hill, 2004;Lowe & Maycock, 1988;Van Strien, & Ouwens, 2003).…”

“…In contrast, an increase in food intake in response to negative emotions-emotional eating-has been considered to be an 'inapt' response (Heatherton, Herman, & Polivy, 1991). Negative emotions have been shown to result in overeating in obese individuals (e.g., Van Strien & Ouwens, 2003), in eating-disordered women (e.g., Agras & Telch, 1998), and in normal-weight dieters (e.g., Polivy, Herman, & McFarlane, 1994). It is therefore suggested that the relation between eating and emotion is influenced, at least partly, by particular characteristics of an individual (Greeno & Wing, 1994;Schachter et al, 1968).…”

Why dieters fail: Testing the goal conflict model of eating

“…The boundary model suggests two classes of variables that can impair the regulatio n of eating in restrained eaters and induce overeating, namely the experience of strong emotions, and a previous violation of the diet boundary. There has been some empirical support for both the emotion hypothesis (e.g., Baucom & Aiken, 1981;Frost, Goolk asian, Ely & Blanchard, 1982;Heatherton, Herman, & Polivy, 1991;Heatherton, Striepe & Wittenberg, 1998;Herman, Polivy, Lank & Heatherton, 1987;Polivy, Herman & McFarlane, 1994) and the assumption that dietary violations induce overeating (Herman & Mack, 1985;Herman, Polivy & Esses, 6 1987;Hibscher & Herman, 1977). However, there is also evidence that exposure to palatable food tempts restrained eaters into overeating (Fedoroff, Polivy & Herman, 1997;Jansen & van den Hout, 1991).…”