Inhibiting Food Reward: Delay Discounting, Food Reward Sensitivity, and Palatable Food Intake in Overweight and Obese Women

Abstract

Overeating is believed to result when the appetitive motivation to consume palatable food exceeds an individual’s capacity for inhibitory control of eating. This hypothesis was supported in recent studies involving predominantly normal weight women, but has not been tested in obese populations. The current study tested the interaction between food reward sensitivity and inhibitory control in predicting palatable food intake among energy-replete overweight and obese women (N=62). Sensitivity to palatable food reward was measured with the Power of Food Scale. Inhibitory control was assessed with a computerized choice task that captures the tendency to discount large delayed rewards relative to smaller immediate rewards. Participants completed an eating in the absence of hunger protocol in which homeostatic energy needs were eliminated with a bland preload of plain oatmeal, followed by a bogus laboratory taste test of palatable and bland snacks. The interaction between food reward sensitivity and inhibitory control was a significant predictor of palatable food intake in regression analyses controlling for body mass index and the amount of preload consumed. Probing this interaction indicated that higher food reward sensitivity predicted greater palatable food intake at low levels of inhibitory control, but was not associated with intake at high levels of inhibitory control. As expected, no associations were found in a similar regression analysis predicting intake of bland foods. Findings support a neurobehavioral model of eating behavior in which sensitivity to palatable food reward drives overeating only when accompanied by insufficient inhibitory control. Strengthening inhibitory control could enhance weight management programs.

Combined effects of cognitive bias for food cues and poor inhibitory control on unhealthy food intake

“…In addition, foodspecific inhibitory control was measured, rather than a general inability to inhibit responses (Houben & Wiers, 2009;Peeters et al, 2012). Food-specific inhibitory control has been argued to be particularly important with regard to achieving a more detailed understanding of the mechanisms which may be associated with unhealthy eating (Appelhans, et al, 2011;. In support, neuroimaging research has shown that brain regions associated with motivation and disinhibition are activated in obese people in response to unhealthy food images (Carnell, Gibson, Benson, Ochner, & Geliebter, 2012).…”

“…Several studies have also demonstrated that poor inhibitory control is associated with increased food intake during a laboratory taste test in both healthy weight (Guerrieri, Nederkoorn, & Jansen, 2007) and overweight or obese women (Appelhans et al, 2011). In addition, poor inhibitory control predicted an increase in weight (BMI) over a one year period in a sample of healthy weight women (Nederkoorn, Houben, Hofmann, Roefs & Jansen, 2010).…”

“…In addition, the above studies have all measured inhibitory control in general, not specifically related to food. Yet specific food-related inhibitory control needs to be examined as a more proximal potential mechanism associated with unhealthy eating (Appelhans et al, 2011;.…”

Sensitivity to reward is associated with snack and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in adolescents

“…The rewarding value, evaluated in terms of reinforcing value, of palatable foods is higher than that of bland foods [15][16][17][18]. However, not all people indulge in highly palatable or reinforcing foods such as energy-dense snacks and SSBs.…”

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and the Clinical Management of Obesity

“…For example, obese women show steeper discounting of delayed rewards than normal weight women [52], and greater delay discounting has been associated with higher intake of palatable food among lean, overweight, and obese subjects who are most sensitive to the rewarding properties of food [53,54]. It has been hypothesized that a greater predisposition for delay discounting would likely manifest as heightened sensitivity to the immediate reward from palatable food and decreased valuation of the longterm rewards associated with a healthy diet and weight maintenance, which in combination would contribute to obesity [55,56].…”