Dieting and Food Cue-Related Working Memory Performance

Abstract

Executive functioning (e.g., working memory) is tightly intertwined with self-regulation. For example, food cue-elicited craving has been found to impair working memory performance. Furthermore, current dieters have been found to show lower working memory performance than non-dieters. Recent research, however, suggests that it is crucial to consider dieting success in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating in order to reveal cognitive mechanisms that are associated with successful eating-related self-regulation. The current study investigated food cue-related working memory performance as a function of dieting status and dieting success in female students. Participants performed an n-back task with pictures of food and neutral objects. Reaction time in response to food pictures was slower than in response to neutral pictures, whereas omission errors did not differ between picture types. Current food craving was increased after performing the food block, but not after the neutral block. There was an indirect effect of current dieting status on higher food craving after the food block, which was mediated by slower reaction time to food vs. neutral pictures. Furthermore, higher dieting success was associated with fewer omission errors in the food vs. neutral block in current dieters. There were no relationships of restrained eating with current food craving and task performance. Results further highlight the need to differentiate between successful and unsuccessful dieting in addition to current dieting status or restrained eating when examining possible mechanisms of overeating or successful restraint. Although palatable food cues induce food craving regardless of dieting success, they may boost executive functioning in successful dieters, which helps them to overcome these temptations.

Self-regulation and obesity: the role of executive function and delay discounting in the prediction of weight loss

“…Our results are in line with Hege et al ( 2013 ), who showed the predictive value of behavioral working memory for successful weight loss during a lifestyle treatment. Hege et al ( 2013 ), however, used a food-specific working memory task, which could be even more predictive in the self-regulation of weight loss given the role of working memory in food cue monitoring (Meule, 2016 ). Based on these results, targeting weaker working memory seems a promising target for intervention (Jansen et al, 2015 ).…”

Training cognitive control

“…Interestingly, the 2-back task did show a correlation with all other EF-measures, suggesting that this task captures some latent EF-factor which is shared by all measures. In line with the previously identified important role of working memory in successful self-regulation (Dohle et al, 2018;Hofmann et al, 2008; and consistent with previous research (Meule, 2016;Whitelock, Nouwen, van den Akker, & Higgs, 2018), we found better working memory performance to be the most important predictor of weight loss.…”

“…Recently, research started to explore more specific associations of working memory processes and eating behavior. For instance, Meule (2016) found that successful dieters did not show better working memory performance in general relative to unsuccessful dieters, but specifically in response to food cues (e.g. on a foodspecific n-back task), similar to the suggested food-specificity of inhibition weaknesses in obesity (Houben et al, 2014;Nederkoorn et al, 2012).…”

“…Our results are in line with Hege et al (2013), who also showed the predictive value of working memory for successful weight loss during a lifestyle treatment. Hege et al (2013), however, used a food-specific working memory task, which could be even more predictive in the self-regulation of weight loss given the role of working memory in food cue monitoring (Meule, 2016). Based on these results, targeting weaker working memory seems a promising target for intervention .…”

“…Food-specific WM may be more relevant in predicting weight loss compared to general WM, for instance, because one needs to keep track of the amount of calories already consumed to be able to stick to one's diet, and because food cues have to be monitored to select when and what to eat (Boutelle & Kirschenbaum, 1998). Further, it is possible that palatable food cues activate executive functioning in successful dieters, leading to more control over eating behavior (Meule, 2016), and it has been suggested that food-specific WM training may also reduce food cue reactivity Meule, 2016). It would therefore be interesting for future studies to explore the effectiveness of food-specific WM training on eating behavior and weight loss.…”