Food reward sensitivity, impulsivity, and weight change during and after a 3-month weight loss program

Abstract

Background Greater sensitivity to food rewards and higher levels of impulsivity (and an interaction between these variables, termed “reinforcement pathology”) have been associated with obesity in cross-sectional studies. Less is known regarding how these constructs may impact attempts at weight loss or longer-term weight loss maintenance. Methods We provided 75 adults (69%Female, 84%White, age = 50.8y, BMI = 31.2kg/m2) with a 3-month Internet-based weight loss program and assessed weight, food reward sensitivity (via the Power of Food Scale [PFS]), and impulsivity (via Go No-Go [GNG] and Delay Discounting [DD] computer tasks) at baseline and at Months 3, 6, 9, and 12. No additional intervention was provided Months 3–12. Multi-level mixed-effect models were used to examine changes in PFS, GNG, and DD over time and associations between these measures and weight loss/regain. Results Participants lost 6.0±1.1kg Months 0–3 and regained 2.4±1.1kg Months 3–12. Across time points, higher PFS scores were associated with higher weight, p = .007; however, there were no significant associations between GNG or DD and weight nor between the interactions of PFS and GNG or DD and weight, ps>.05. There were significant decreases from Months 0–3 in PFS, GNG, and DD, ps < .05; however, neither baseline values nor changes were significantly associated with weight change and there were no significant associations between the interactions of PFS and GNG or DD and weight change, ps>.05. Conclusion Results demonstrated an association between food reward sensitivity and weight. Further, decreases in both food reward sensitivity and impulsivity were observed during an initial weight loss program, but neither baseline levels nor improvements were associated with weight change. Taken together, results suggest that the constructs of food reward sensitivity, impulsivity, and reinforcement pathology may have limited clinical utility within behavioral weight management interventions. Future intervention studies should examine whether food-related impulsivity tasks lead to a similar pattern of results.

Changes in hedonic hunger and food reward after a similar weight loss induced by a very low‐energy diet or bariatric surgery

“…A much larger study ( n = 111) by O'Neil et al [ 32 ] found that a 4% weight loss induced by a 12‐week commercial weight loss program, consisting of caloric restriction, encouragement of physical activity, and regular meetings, led to decreases in hedonic hunger. Similarly, a study by Ross et al [ 33 ] reported that a 3‐month behavioral weight loss program resulted in reduced food reward sensitivity and impulsivity after an average 6‐kg (7%) weight loss. The two latter studies measured hedonic hunger with the PFS, and as such, results are similar and comparable with ours.…”

“…Ross et al [ 33 ] reported that a greater food reward sensitivity (from PFS) was associated with greater body weight but not with weight loss. Contrarily, O'Neil and colleagues [ 32 ] showed that a decrease in the aggregated PFS score was associated with a greater percentage of weight loss and with improvements in reported weight control behaviors determined by the Eating Behavior Inventory.…”

Effects of 6-month episodic future thinking training on delay discounting, weight loss and HbA1c changes in individuals with prediabetes

“…First, there may be a learning effect where people improve with repeated testing, as people improved from 0 to 12 weeks, with further significant improvement from 12 to 24 weeks. Second, BWL can improve DD without any training in EFT (Ross et al, 2020 ). BWL may include treatment components that foster a more prospective mindset, leading to reductions in DD.…”

Factors Associated with High Fat, Salt, And Sugar Food Selection on Online Food Delivery Service Among Students of SMAN (State High School) 47 Jakarta in 2022

“…This research is in line with the previous study which showed that individuals who are higher in Sensitivity of Reward (SR) have a greater risk of being overweight because they feel a very large desire for food because of the activation of these desires that come from the brain's response and are encouraged to realize the desire for food as a reward (16). In other studies conducted in adults, greater sensitivity and impulsive levels to food gifts were associated with food purchases that were high in FSS and related to obesity (17).…”