Food noise: A theoretical review

Food noise has emerged as a new term to describe a preoccupation with food that can be persistent, intrusive, and unwanted. The term has become popular on social media platforms like TikTok and Reddit, typically alongside discussion of the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist medications (e.g., semaglutide, tirzepatide). Specifically, people report that taking a GLP-1 medication can dampen or substantially reduce their food noise. Qualitative research describes how this effect is welcomed and can allow people more control over their eating habits. However, although reductions in food noise appear to be a promising impact of treatment with a GLP-1 medication and may help to explain disordered eating behaviours, little is known about what exactly food noise is, what causes it, and how any remediation of distressing thoughts might work. As such, this narrative review critically synthesises existing research into food noise, including proposed definitions and existing qualitative findings, to better understand the conceptualisation of the construct. Based on current understandings of food noise, we present five potential theoretical explanations for food noise: homeostatic theory, food cue reactivity, food addiction, thought suppression, and memory inhibition. We end by synthesising these five theories and providing suggestions for future research.