Inhibitory Control and Hedonic Response towards Food Interactively Predict Success in a Weight Loss Programme for Adults with Obesity

Disentangling inhibition toward food and non-food stimuli across two hunger levels: An fNIRS study

While individuals tend to display poorer inhibitory control toward food-related than neutral stimuli, it is unclear whether this challenge is specific to food or extends to other pleasant stimuli. Uncertainty also remains regarding the general impact of hunger on inhibition. To address these questions, we used a within-subjects design whereby 44 healthy adults completed two go/no-go tasks including no-go images of highly palatable foods and no-go images of animals matched for valence and physical properties. Both tasks were completed one week apart in either a fed or a fasted state. Prefrontal cortex activity was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Poorer behavioral inhibition was observed when participants needed to withhold their response to images of food compared to animals, regardless of hunger state. In addition, more commission errors were made in the fasted compared to the fed condition, regardless of the type of image to avoid responding to. Responses to go trials were slower when these trials were interspersed with food compared to animal no-go trials. However, hunger did not influence go response time. Greater activation was observed in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex during blocks of trials with (vs. without) no-go images, but brain activity did not differ according to the type of no-go image. The effect of hunger on prefrontal brain activity was also not significant. Exploratory correlations showed that food-related inhibition deficits were positively related to self-reported impulsivity, but unrelated to body mass index. This study suggests that even among healthy adults, food-related inhibitory control may have a unique behavioral signature beyond general inhibition toward pleasant stimuli. Hunger also exerts an independent influence on general inhibitory capabilities, highlighting the importance of carefully controlling hunger levels in inhibition studies.

Measuring food-related inhibition with go/no-go tasks: Critical considerations for experimental design

The use of go/no-go tasks to assess inhibitory control over food stimuli is becoming increasingly popular. However, the wide variability in the design of these tasks makes it difficult to fully leverage their results. The goal of this commentary was to provide researchers with crucial aspects to consider when designing food-related go/no-go experiments. We examined 76 studies that used food-themed go/no-go tasks and extracted characteristics related to participant population, methodology, and analysis. Based on our observations of common issues that can influence study conclusions, we stress the importance for researchers to design an appropriate control condition and match stimuli between experimental conditions in terms of emotional and physical properties. We also emphasize that stimuli should be tailored to the participants under study, whether at the individual or group level. To ensure that the task truly measures inhibitory abilities, researchers should promote the establishment of a prepotent response pattern by presenting more go than no-go trials and by using short trials. Researchers should also pre-specify the criteria used to identify potentially invalid data. While go/no-go tasks represent valuable tools for studying food cognition, researchers should choose task parameters carefully and justify their methodological and analytical decisions in order to ensure the validity of results and promote best practices in food-related inhibition research.

Supplementing a widely available weight loss program with gamified inhibitory control training: A randomized pilot study

Background

Increasing evidence suggests that targeting self-regulatory processes may improve obesity treatment outcomes. Incorporating gamification principles in inhibitory control training may promote sustained training adherence and resulting benefits. This pilot study evaluated the preliminary efficacy of supplementing an evidence-based weight management program (WW) with sustained gamified inhibitory control training (PolyRules!) on change in Body Mass Index (BMI) among adults with overweight/obesity.

Methods

30 adults with overweight/obesity (M age 49.9 ± 12.4, 86.7% female; 23.3% Hispanic, mean BMI 35.3 ± 6.3) were randomly assigned to receive WW with or without PolyRules! for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was change in BMI from baseline to post-intervention across study arms. Implementation and process indicators were captured to inform larger trials.

Results

Average change in BMI was -0.9 in the WW arm and -1.2 in the WW + PolyRules! arm (Cohen's d = 0.26). In the WW + PolyRules! arm, increased training was associated with greater decreases in BMI (r = -0.506, p = 0.0454). WW + PolyRules! participants completed an average of 60.4% sessions and reported positive experiences. There was no difference in frequency of food (d = -0.02) and weight tracking (d = -0.19) between arms.

Conclusions

Studies in larger samples should evaluate training-related effects on weight. Supplementing WW with gamified inhibitory training appears feasible, with no detrimental effect on engagement.

Executive Functioning, Depressive Symptoms, and Intervention Engagement in a Sample of Adolescents Enrolled in a Weight Management Program

Purpose: This study examines how baseline demographics, psychosocial characteristics, and intervention delivery predict engagement among adolescents with overweight and obesity seeking treatment. Methods: Data originates from a multisite randomized control trial evaluating the efficacy of an app-based weight loss intervention, compared with standard in-clinic model in adolescents with overweight and obesity. Participants were randomized to one of the three arms: (1) AppCoach, (2) AppAlone, or (3) Control. Demographic, executive functioning (EF), and depression questionnaires were completed at baseline. Percent engagement was compared within and between groups defined by demographics and depressive symptoms. Quantile regression was used to evaluate the association between age and EF on percent engagement. Results: Baseline demographics were not associated with engagement within or between groups. Neither baseline self-reported depressive symptoms (p = 0.244) nor deficits in EF (p = 0.34) were predictors of engagement. Univariate analysis found that the control arm had the highest engagement (83%) compared with AppCoach (63.5%) and AppAlone (22.5%, p = 0.02). Hispanic ethnicity was predictive of higher engagement in the control arm (p = 0.02). On multivariate quartile regression no other baseline characteristics were significant predictors of engagement. Conclusion: Baseline demographics and individual psychosocial characteristics were not related to engagement in this cohort. The intervention arm that required parental involvement resulted in the greatest engagement suggesting that family involvement may overshadow individual behavioral phenotype and thus promote better engagement. Further investigation is needed to understand how program delivery can be leveraged to optimize treatment engagement and outcomes in adolescence. Clinical Trial Registration number: NCT03500835.

A Simple Liking Survey Captures Behaviors Associated with Weight Loss in a Worksite Program among Women at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

In a secondary analysis, we assessed the ability of dietary and physical activity surveys to explain variability in weight loss within a worksite-adapted Diabetes Prevention Program. The program involved 58 overweight/obese female employees (average age = 46 ± 11 years SD; average body mass index = 34.7 ± 7.0 kg/m² SD) of four long-term care facilities who survey-reported liking and frequency of dietary and physical activity behaviors. Data were analyzed using a latent variable approach, analysis of covariance, and nested regression analysis to predict percent weight change from baseline to intervention end at week 16 (average loss = 3.0%; range—6% gain to 17% loss), and follow-up at week 28 (average loss = 2.0%; range—8% gain to 16% loss). Using baseline responses, restrained eaters (reporting liking but low intakes of high fat/sweets) achieved greater weight loss at 28 weeks than those reporting high liking/high intake (average loss = 3.5 ± 0.9% versus 1.0 ± 0.8% S.E., respectively). Examining the dietary surveys separately, only improvements in liking for a healthy diet were associated significantly with weight loss (predicting 44% of total variance, p < 0.001). By contrasting liking versus intake changes, women reporting concurrent healthier diet liking and healthier intake lost the most weight (average loss = 5.4 ± 1.1% S.E.); those reporting eating healthier but not healthier diet liking (possible misreporting) gained weight (average gain = 0.3 ± 1.4% S.E.). Change in liking and frequency of physical activity were highly correlated but neither predicted weight loss independently. These pilot data support surveying dietary likes/dislikes as a useful measure to capture dietary behaviors associated with weight loss in worksite-based programs. Comparing dietary likes and intake may identify behaviors consistent (appropriate dietary restraint) or inconsistent (misreporting) with weight loss success.

Food addiction, executive function and mood in adolescents with obesity seeking treatment

BACKGROUND

The relationships between food addiction, executive functions and mood in adolescence are not well-understood. This study examines differences in executive functioning, depression symptoms and perceived stress among adolescents with obesity with- and without food addiction.

METHODS

A total of 110 adolescents with obesity (74 females; age = 15.59 ± 1.3 y; 67% Hispanic; 74% public insurance) completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2 (BRIEF-2), the Yale Food Addiction Scale for children (YFAS-c), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-DC). Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate differences in BRIEF-2, CES-DC and PSS scores between participants with and without food addiction. A logistic regression model assessed the associations between executive dysfunction, depression and stress on food addiction individually. Multiple logistic regression was utilized to further examine the association between executive dysfunction and food addiction when accounting for depression and stress.

RESULTS

More than a third of participants (34.5%) met the criteria for food addiction. Females were 2.89 times more likely than males to have food addiction (95th%CI = 1.12-7.46, p = 0.03). Participants with FA had significantly higher BRIEF-2 T-scores (all p < 0.05) and higher PSS and CES-DC scores (all p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed depression was strongly correlated with FA when controlling for executive dysfunction and stress (p = 0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

Among obesity treatment-seeking adolescents, youths with food addiction displayed greater impairments in executive functioning and higher levels of stress and depressive symptoms than adolescents without food addiction. Prospective studies are needed to determine how this behavioral phenotype helps predict intervention outcomes.

Changes of Taste, Smell and Eating Behavior in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: Associations with PROP Phenotypes and Polymorphisms in the Odorant-Binding Protein OBPIIa and CD36 Receptor Genes

Bariatric surgery is the most effective long-term treatment for severe obesity and related comorbidities. Although patients who underwent bariatric surgery report changes of taste and smell perception, results from sensory studies are discrepant and limited. Here, we assessed taste and smell functions in 51 patients before, one month, and six months after undergoing bariatric surgery. We used taste strip tests to assess gustatory function (including sweetness, saltiness, sourness, umaminess, bitterness and oleic acid, a fatty stimulus), the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test to assess olfactory identification and the 3-Factor Eating Questionnaire to assess eating behavior. We also explored associations between these phenotypes and flavor-related genes. Results showed an overall improvement in taste function (including increased sensitivity to oleic acid and the bitterness of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP)) and in olfactory function (which could be related to the increase in PROP and oleic acid sensitivity), an increase in cognitive restraint, and a decrease in disinhibition and hunger after bariatric surgery. These findings indicate that bariatric surgery can have a positive impact on olfactory and gustatory functions and eating behavior (with an important role of genetic factors, such PROP tasting), which in turn might contribute to the success of the intervention.

A Case-Control Study on Behavioral Addictions and Neurocognition: Description of the BANCO and BANCO2 Protocols

INTRODUCTION

Only two behavioral addictions (BAs) are currently recognized in international classifications (gambling disorder: GbD; gaming disorder: GmD), while some of them await further investigation (food addiction: FA; sexual addiction: SA). Neurocognitive functioning is considered a risk factor for BAs. Research is quite abundant for GbD and highlights specific deficits in several cognitive functions. Nevertheless, grey areas still exist. The aim of this research programme is to investigate the neurocognitive profiles of patients presenting with various BAs and to establish parallels between different forms of BA to achieve a common addiction concept.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This research program is composed of two studies sharing the same methodology but focusing on different samples: the BANCO study aims to include 30 individuals with a GbD, whereas the BANCO2 study aims to include 30 individuals with a GmD, 30 with a SA, and 30 with a FA. Moreover, for each BA group, 30 healthy controls will be recruited, matched by sex, age and education level. Several cognitive tasks will be completed by participants. Cue reactivity and physiological responses, as well as clinical data regarding addiction characteristics and personality, will also be investigated. A composite score based on the cognitive tasks will be computed using principal component analysis (PCA). Overall cognitive performance and detailed performance on the different cognitive tasks will be compared between individuals with BAs and their matched healthy controls using linear models with random effects. Comparisons will also be made between BA groups to investigate specific alterations associated with each disorder.

DISCUSSION

The results of this research programme will impact both research and clinical areas by (i) providing new knowledge for discussions regarding the inclusion of BAs under the spectrum of addictive disorders; (ii) improving understanding of addiction mechanisms in general; (iii) providing clarity in the grey areas in neurocognitive research on BAs and improving the understanding of less studied BAs, (iv) guiding clinicians to propose therapeutic alternatives and complementary programmes.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

BANCO study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03202290); BANCO2 study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03967418).

Examining cognitive bias modification interventions for reducing food value and choice: Two pre-registered, online studies

There is considerable interest in Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM) as a potential treatment for overweight/obesity. Inhibitory Control Training (ICT: also known as motor response training) and Evaluative Conditioning (EC) are two popular paradigms which rely on associatively learned responses (unhealthy food - > inhibition, or unhealthy food- > negative stimulus, respectively) through repeated cue-response contingencies. Both ICT and EC have demonstrated some effectiveness for reducing food intake, value and/or choice, when administered in the laboratory and online. However, studies have been criticised for inconsistencies in design (e.g. use of inadequate control groups) which makes it difficult to draw robust conclusions. In two pre-registered, online studies our aim was to examine active ICT (study 1: N = 170) and EC (study 2: N = 300) in multiple groups where the cue- > response contingencies were systematically varied (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%), before examining food-cue valuations and hypothetical food choice. In both studies varying the cue- > response contingencies did not lead to significant changes in food-cue devaluation following training. ICT did not substantially influence hypothetical food choice, whereas there was weak evidence that EC reduced choice for unhealthy foods, compared to a control group with 50% cue-response contingencies. Taken together both studies provide limited evidence for online CBM as a viable psychological treatment - at least through the mechanism of food-cue devaluation or changes in healthy and unhealthy food choice. Future research is needed to investigate the factors that contribute towards successful CBM training to critically evaluate the potential for these strategies within interventions.

Executive Functioning as a Predictor of Weight Loss and Physical Activity Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Executive functioning, which is fundamental for carrying out goal-directed behaviors, may be an underappreciated predictor of outcomes in lifestyle modification programs for adults with obesity.

PURPOSE

This study tested the hypotheses that higher levels of baseline executive functioning would predict greater weight loss and physical activity after 6 months of behavioral treatment.

METHODS

Participants (N = 320) were recruited from the community and provided with 16 treatment sessions. Executive functioning was measured with the tower task component of the Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS). At months 0 and 6, weight was measured in the clinic and physical activity was measured with tri-axial accelerometers.

RESULTS

Baseline D-KEFS achievement score, rule violations, and completion time significantly predicted weight loss at 6 months. For example, among participants without any rule violations (n = 162), weight loss averaged 11.0%, while those with rule violations (n = 158) averaged 8.7% weight loss. Rule violations also significantly predicted physical activity at 6 months. Among participants without any rule violations, physical activity at 6 months averaged 169.8 min/week, versus 127.2 min/week among those with rule violations.

CONCLUSIONS

Particular aspects of executive functioning may predict the relative ease or difficulty of changing eating and exercise-related behaviors, albeit with small effect sizes. This study is the first to our knowledge to detect a predictive relationship between components of executive functioning and objectively measured physical activity in adult lifestyle modification, and one of the first to predict weight loss in adults using an objective measure of executive functioning.

CLINICALTRIALS.GOV REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02363010.

Mindfulness-based emotional eating awareness training: taking the emotional out of eating

PURPOSE

Emotional eating is important to study and address because it predicts poor outcome in weight loss interventions. Interventions have only touched the surface in terms of addressing emotional eating. Mindfulness approaches can address emotional eating by modification of emotion regulation and appetitive traits. The current study involved development of an emotional eating-specific mindfulness intervention and assessment of its effect on appetitive traits associated with emotional eating.

METHODS

Participants (n = 14; age M = 29 years; 90% female) completed baseline and end-of-intervention self-report measures of emotional eating, food-cue reactivity, mindfulness, intuitive eating, emotional impulse regulation, stress, and a behavioural measure of inhibitory control. During the 6-week intervention, mindfulness meditation skills were taught weekly embedded in a psycho-educational curriculum about emotional eating.

RESULTS

Paired t tests, controlled for type 1 error, revealed significant improvements in food-cue reactivity, intuitive eating, emotional impulse regulation, inhibitory control and stress (ps < 0.05; d: 0.58-1.54). Changes in emotional eating approached significance (p = 0.075, d = 0.66).

CONCLUSION

The intervention purposefully did not focus on weight loss and recruited participants who had self-declared difficulties with emotional eating. The positive outcomes suggest that intervening with mindfulness training before weight loss is attempted has the potential to change psychological factors that underpin overeating and undermine weight loss efforts. The study provides proof of principle as a basis to design a randomized control trial to assess rigorously the effectiveness of the intervention as a precursor to a weight loss intervention.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, uncontrolled trial.

Functional connectivity underlying hedonic response to food in female adolescents with atypical AN: the role of somatosensory and salience networks

Atypical anorexia nervosa (AN) usually occurs during adolescence. Patients are often in the normal-weight range at diagnosis; however, they often present with signs of medical complications and severe restraint over eating, body dissatisfaction, and low self-esteem. We investigated functional circuitry underlying the hedonic response in 28 female adolescent patients diagnosed with atypical AN and 33 healthy controls. Participants were shown images of food with high (HC) or low (LC) caloric content in alternating blocks during functional MRI. The HC > LC contrast was calculated. Based on the previous literature on full-threshold AN, we hypothesized that patients would exhibit increased connectivity in areas involved in sensory processing and bottom-up responses, coupled to increased connectivity from areas related to top-down inhibitory control, compared with controls. Patients showed increased connectivity in pathways related to multimodal somatosensory processing and memory retrieval. The connectivity was on the other hand decreased in patients in salience and attentional networks, and in a wide cerebello-occipital network. Our study was the first investigation of food-related neural response in atypical AN. Our findings support higher somatosensory processing in patients in response to HC food images compared with controls, however HC food was less efficient than LC food in engaging patients' bottom-up salient responses, and was not associated with connectivity increases in inhibitory control regions. These findings suggest that the psychopathological mechanisms underlying food restriction in atypical AN differ from full-threshold AN. Elucidating the mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of eating behavior in atypical AN might help designing specific treatment strategies.

Associations between Weight Loss, Food Likes, Dietary Behaviors, and Chemosensory Function in Bariatric Surgery: A Case-Control Analysis in Women

We tested the hypothesis that successful weight loss post-bariatric surgery would be associated with healthier chemosensory function, food likes, and dietary behaviors than either unsuccessful weight loss or pre-surgery morbid obesity. In a case-control design, pre-surgical women with morbid obesity (n = 49) were compared with those 1-year post-surgery (24 Roux-en-Y Bypass, 24 Sleeve Gastrectomy) and defined by excess or percent weight loss as successful/unsuccessful. For self-reported smell/taste perception, more post-surgery than pre-surgery reported improved/distorted perception, especially if weight loss successful. Measured taste function (perceived quinine and NaCl intensity) was lower among weight loss unsuccessful versus pre-surgery patients, yet a genetic variation in taste probe (propylthiouracil bitterness) matched expected frequencies without significant pre/post-surgery difference. Regarding survey-reported liking, higher diet quality was seen in the weight loss successful (independent of surgery type) versus pre-surgical patients, with differences driven by lower sweet and refined carbohydrate liking. The post versus pre-surgical patients had greater restraint but less hunger and disinhibition. Patients reporting both higher diet quality and lower hunger showed greater % weight loss, independent of surgery type. Thus, successful weight loss 1-year post-bariatric surgery was associated with improved or distorted chemosensation and patterns of liking associated with healthier diets, especially if coupled with less hunger.

Executive Function, Eating Behavior, and Preoperative Weight Loss in Bariatric Surgery Candidates: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND

Individual differences in executive function may influence eating behavior, weight loss (WL), and WL maintenance in obesity treatment. Executive function, which designates top-down cognitive control processes, has been related to eating behaviors which may impact weight, and has been found to be predictive of WL in both behavioral WL programs and after bariatric surgery. Currently, we lack knowledge on the role of executive function in the period before bariatric surgery. If executive function impacts eating behavior and WL in the preoperative period, it may be a target for clinical attention in this stage.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to examine the relationship between objective performance-based measures of executive function, eating patterns, and WL in the preoperative period.

METHOD

Baseline data in an ongoing observational longitudinal study of bariatric surgery patients were used. Eighty patients completed neuropsychological testing and self-report questionnaires 4 weeks prior to surgery.

RESULTS

We found that working memory predicted WL before surgery and inhibitory control predicted adherence to dietary recommendations.

CONCLUSION

Our study indicates that executive function may play a role in short-term WL and dietary adherence prior to surgery, suggesting that executive function in the preoperative period deserves an extended research focus.

Executive Functioning in Obesity, Food Addiction, and Binge-Eating Disorder

This study aimed to investigate food addiction (FA) and binge-eating disorder (BED) in their association to executive dysfunctions in adults with obesity. Data on response inhibition, attention, decision-making, and impulsivity were derived from four groups of adults with obesity: obesity and FA (n = 23), obesity and BED (n = 19), obesity and FA plus BED (FA/BED, n = 23), and a body mass index-, age-, and sex-stratified control group of otherwise healthy individuals with obesity (n = 23, OB), using established computerized neuropsychological tasks. Overall, there were few group differences in neuropsychological profiles. Individuals of the FA group did not differ from the OB group regarding executive functioning. Individuals with BED presented with significantly higher variability in their reaction times and a deficient processing of feedback for performance improvement compared to individuals of the OB group. Strikingly, individuals with FA/BED did not present neuropsychological impairments, but higher levels of depression than all other groups. The results indicated the presence of a BED-specific neuropsychological profile in the obesity spectrum. The additional trait FA was not related to altered executive functioning compared to the OB or BED groups. Future research is needed to discriminate FA and BED further using food-specific tasks.

"It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it": does obesity affect perceptual motor control ability of adults on the speed and accuracy of a discrete aiming task?

The ability to control speed and accuracy of goal directed aiming tasks underpins many activities of daily living. Recent evidence has begun to suggest that obesity can affect the control of movement. This study evaluated perceptual motor control of 183 normal weight, overweight, and obese participants using a discrete Fitts' task on a digital tablet. In addition, we manipulated tablet orientation to determine whether tablet orientation influences task difficulty with the view to increase the task's constraints. Our study found that the traditional relationship between target distance and target width hold true for each of the three weight groups in both tablet orientations. Interestingly, no significant differences were found for movement time between the groups, while movement kinematics differed between weight groups. Obese participants demonstrated significantly higher peak acceleration values in the horizontal tablet orientation when compared to their normal weight and overweight counterparts. Further to this, obese participants made significantly more errors than normal weight and overweight groups. These findings suggest that obese individuals have altered control strategies compared to their normal weight peers.

Promising technological innovations in cognitive training to treat eating-related behavior

One potential reason for the suboptimal outcomes of treatments targeting appetitive behavior, such as eating and alcohol consumption, is that they do not target the implicit cognitive processes that may be driving these behaviors. Two groups of related neurocognitive processes that are robustly associated with dysregulated eating and drinking are attention bias (AB; selective attention to specific stimuli) and executive function (EF; a set of cognitive control processes such as inhibitory control, working memory, set shifting, that govern goal-directed behaviors). An increasing body of work suggests that EF and AB training programs improve regulation of appetitive behaviors, especially if trainings are frequent and sustained. However, several key challenges, such as adherence to the trainings in the long term, and overall potency of the training, remain. The current manuscript describes five technological innovations that have the potential to address difficulties related to the effectiveness and feasibility of EF and AB trainings: (1) deployment of training in the home, (2) training via smartphone, (3) gamification, (4) virtual reality, and (5) personalization. The drawbacks of these innovations, as well as areas for future research, are also discussed. The above-mentioned innovations are likely to be instrumental in the future empirical work to develop and evaluate effective EF and AB trainings for appetitive behaviors.

Does self-control modify the impact of interventions to change alcohol, tobacco, and food consumption? A systematic review

Low self-control is associated with increased consumption of alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy food. This systematic review aimed to assess whether individual differences in self-control modify the effectiveness of interventions to reduce consumption of these products, and hence their potential to reduce consumption amongst those whose consumption is generally greater. Searches of six databases were supplemented with snowball searches and forward citation tracking. Narrative synthesis summarised findings by: consumption behaviour (alcohol, tobacco, food); psychological processes targeted by the intervention (reflective, non-reflective, or both); and study design (experiment, cohort, or cross-sectional). Of 54 eligible studies, 22 reported no evidence of modification, 18 reported interventions to be less effective in those with low self-control, and 14 reported interventions to be more effective in those with low self-control. This pattern did not differ from chance. Whilst self-control often influenced intervention outcomes, there was no consistent pattern of effects, even when stratifying studies by consumption behaviour, intervention type, or study design. There was a notable absence of evidence regarding interventions that restructure physical or economic environments. In summary, a heterogeneous, low-quality evidence base suggests an inconsistent moderating effect of low self-control on the effectiveness of interventions to change consumption behaviours.