Inhibitory control and negative affect in relation to food intake among youth

Meghan E Byrne; Lisa M Shank; Deborah R Altman; Taylor N Swanson; Eliana Ramirez; Nia A Moore; Sarah G Rubin; Sarah LeMay-Russell; Megan N Parker; Rachel E Kaufman; Shanna B Yang; Stephan L Torres; Sheila M Brady; Nichole R Kelly; Marian Tanofsky-Kraff; Jack A Yanovski

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2020.104858

Inhibitory control and negative affect in relation to food intake among youth

Appetite. 2021 Jan 1:156:104858. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.104858. Epub 2020 Sep 4.

Authors

Meghan E Byrne¹, Lisa M Shank², Deborah R Altman³, Taylor N Swanson⁴, Eliana Ramirez³, Nia A Moore³, Sarah G Rubin³, Sarah LeMay-Russell¹, Megan N Parker¹, Rachel E Kaufman³, Shanna B Yang⁵, Stephan L Torres⁵, Sheila M Brady³, Nichole R Kelly⁶, Marian Tanofsky-Kraff⁷, Jack A Yanovski³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), USA.
² Section on Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), USA; Department of Medicine, USU, USA; Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Metis Foundation, USA.
³ Section on Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), USA.
⁴ Section on Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), USA; Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Metis Foundation, USA.
⁵ Nutrition Department, Clinical Center, NIH, USA.
⁶ Department of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, Prevention Science Institute, University of Oregon, USA.
⁷ Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), USA; Department of Medicine, USU, USA; Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Metis Foundation, USA. Electronic address: marian.tanofsky-kraff@usuhs.edu.

Abstract

Negative affect and poor inhibitory control are related to disinhibited eating behaviors in youth and may contribute to the development and/or maintenance of obesity. Although few studies have jointly examined these constructs in youth, it has been theorized that poor inhibitory control may be driven by negative affect. If supported, impaired inhibitory control, driven by negative affect, could represent a modifiable neurocognitive treatment target for disinhibited eating. The current study examined whether inhibitory control mediates the relationship between negative affect and eating among youth. Youth (8-17 years) participated in a Food Go/No-Go neurocognitive task to measure inhibitory control as the percentage of commission errors. A composite negative affect score was created from self-report measures of anxiety and depression. A laboratory buffet meal modeled to simulate disinhibited eating was used to measure total and snack food intake. Cross-sectional mediation models with bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals (CI) were conducted using negative affect as the independent variable, inhibitory control as the mediator, and intake patterns as dependent variables. One-hundred-eighty-one youths (13.2 ± 2.7y; 55% female; BMIz 0.6 ± 1.0) were studied. Total Go/No-Go commission errors mediated the relationship between negative affect and total intake (95%CI = [0.3, 31.6]), but not snack intake (95%CI = [-2.5, 7.3]). Commission errors for Food-Go blocks significantly mediated the relationship between negative affect and total intake (95%CI = [7.7, 44.4]), but not snack intake (95%CI = [-3.4, 9.5]). Commission errors on Neutral-Go blocks did not significantly mediate any of these relationships. Negative affect may lead to poorer inhibitory control as well as a stronger approach tendency toward food, increasing the likelihood of engaging in disinhibited eating. Future research should determine if, in combination with approaches to reduce negative affect, improved inhibitory control could help prevent overeating in youths with depressive or anxiety symptoms.

Keywords: Adolescents; Children; Disinhibited eating; Inhibitory control; Negative affect; Obesity.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Cross-Sectional Studies
Eating
Energy Intake
Feeding Behavior*
Female
Humans
Hyperphagia
Male
Snacks*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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