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Inhibition of food craving is a metabolically active process in the brain in obese men

Gene-Jack Wang1, Ehsan Shokri Kojori2, Kai Yuan2,3

  • 1Laboratory of Neuroimaging, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, 20892-1013, USA. gene-jack.wang@nih.gov.

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|November 20, 2019
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Obese men exhibit impaired cognitive control over food cravings, showing increased brain activity in self-regulation areas when attempting to inhibit desire. This suggests a greater neural effort is needed for appetite control in obesity.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Obesity Research
  • Cognitive Psychology

Background:

  • Obesity is linked to difficulties in controlling food intake.
  • Neural mechanisms of inhibitory control over food craving are not fully understood in obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if obese men have altered brain responses during attempted cognitive inhibition of food cravings.
  • To compare neural activity between obese and non-obese men when suppressing desire for food cues.

Main Methods:

  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with FDG was used to measure brain glucose metabolism in 16 obese and 11 non-obese men.
  • Brain activity was assessed under conditions of no food stimulation, food stimulation without inhibition (NI), and food stimulation with attempted inhibition (AI).
  • Participants viewed personalized favorite food items, and self-reported hunger and desire were recorded.

Main Results:

  • Both groups showed increased metabolism in frontal and cerebellar regions during food stimulation.
  • Attempted inhibition (AI) suppressed metabolism in areas like the anterior cingulate and insula in both groups.
  • Obese men uniquely showed increased metabolism in the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) and caudate during AI compared to NI, correlating negatively with reduced food desire.

Conclusions:

  • Obese men display heightened activation in self-regulation and reward-related brain regions (pgACC, caudate) when attempting to inhibit food cravings.
  • Successful inhibition of food desire requires greater neural energy expenditure in obese individuals.
  • These findings suggest that increased cognitive control effort in response to food cues may contribute to uncontrolled eating in obesity.

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