Brain activity associated with regulating food cravings predicts changes in self-reported food craving and consumption over time

Since neural patterns associated with viewing high-energy foods can predict changes in dietary-related outcomes, this 2020 study recruited 88 individuals with higher body mass index and asked them to perform a food craving reactivity and regulation task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The participants then reported their cravings and consumption of healthy and unhealthy foods at baseline, and at 1-, 3-, and 6-months. The data was not found to support the hypothesis that the brain activity observed when viewing and regulating unhealthy, energy-dense foods would be associated with self-reported craving for and consumption of unhealthy foods at baseline. Instead the activity across several regions of the brain was linked to the self-reported craving for and consumption of healthy food in regression models controlling for age, sex, and BMI. [NPID: craving, reactivity, food reactivity]

Year: 2020

Reference: Giuliani, N. R., Cosme, D., Merchant, J. S., Dirks, B., & Berkman, E. T. (2020). Brain Activity Associated With Regulating Food Cravings Predicts Changes in Self-Reported Food Craving and Consumption Over Time. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 14, 577669. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2020.577669

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