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Brassard SL, Laliberte M, MacKillop J, Balodis IM. Disgust sensitivity and behavioural inhibitory systems in binge eating disorder: associations with eating pathology. Eat Weight Disord 2023; 28:15. [PMID: 36805341 PMCID: PMC9941244 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-023-01544-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Disgust sensitivity refers to how unpleasant a disgusting experience is to an individual and is involved in the development of many psychiatric conditions. Given its link with food ingestion, there is an interest in understanding how an individual's susceptibility to disgust relates to dietary habits. One possible mechanism giving rise to this association is through the effects negative emotions have on high-order cognitive processes, but few studies take this model into account. The aim of this study was to characterize general disgust sensitivity in a clinical binge eating disorder (BED) population, and explore whether disgust sensitivity relates to inhibitory control and eating pathology. Following a case-controlled study design, our results show that: (1) disgust sensitivity and its subscales do not differ between BED and healthy controls, (2) higher disgust sensitivity in BED relates to greater behavioural inhibition, (3) inhibitory control reaction times relate to aspects of eating pathology, and (4) inhibitory control does not mediate relationships between disgust sensitivity and BMI among participants with BED. Understanding the role of disgust sensitivity in BED may allow us to understand how negative emotion systems maintain dysregulated eating behaviours with the potential to inform emotion-regulation treatment approaches. Level of evidence: Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Brassard
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Michele Laliberte
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Eating Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Iris M Balodis
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada. .,Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
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Abstract
Obesity is a multifactorial disease with several potential causes that remain incompletely understood. Recent changes in the environment, which has become increasingly obesogenic, have been found to interact with individual factors. Evidence of the role of taste responsiveness and food preference in obesity has been reported, pointing to a lower taste sensitivity and a higher preference and intake of fat and, to a lesser extent, sweet foods in obese people. Studies in the last decades have also suggested that individual differences in the neurophysiology of food reward may lead to overeating, contributing to obesity. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings. In fact, only a limited number of studies has been conducted on large samples, and several studies were conducted only on women. Larger balanced studies in terms of sex/gender and age are required in order to control the confounding effect of these variables. As many factors are intertwined in obesity, a multidisciplinary approach is needed. This will allow a better understanding of taste alteration and food behaviours in obese people in order to design more effective strategies to promote healthier eating and to prevent obesity and the related chronic disease risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Spinelli
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Erminio Monteleone
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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