The mediating effect of response inhibition on the relationship between dieting preoccupation and impulsivity.

Abstract

Current impulsiveness and disinhibition might be possible causes for constant dieting not being linked to weight loss, increasing impulsive eating, and making sustaining a desirable diet difficult. To explore this dependency and find potential tools for determining the risk of unhealthy food preoccupation, we investigated if inhibitory control abilities mediate the relationship between food preoccupation and impulsivity. The Stop-Signal Task (SST) was used as a measure of inhibitory control, the Revised Restraint Scale (RRS) and Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) measured dieting preoccupation, and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 (BIS) measured impulsiveness levels among the adult participants. The regression analysis did not demonstrate significant correlations between any of the measures except for RRS and FFQ, and therefore the mediation of inhibition on impulsiveness and dieting preoccupation was not found. The findings suggest that low levels of food preoccupation might be necessary to sustain healthy eating behaviors.