Is it possible that perceived hunger could be psychosomatic?
New Article:
Mind Over Matter: The Impact of Perception on Hunger and Calorie Consumption
𝐏𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐨𝐧.
New studies are shedding light on the intricate link between the mind, perception, and health. Medical News Today has reported on various studies that establish connections between subjective feelings and physical states. For example, research has tied physical fitness levels to individual's perception of their own activity levels. Another study indicated that feelings of pain may be more rooted in our minds than our bodies.
Building on this momentum, a recent study led by Dr. Steven Brown from Sheffield Hallam University, UK, investigates the role of the mind in our states of hunger and fullness. Presented at the British Psychological Society's Division of Health Psychology annual conference in Cardiff, this research adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that our perceptions can significantly impact our eating habits.
Prior research has probed the connection between our thoughts about food and consumption patterns. For instance, an earlier study involving Dr. Brown and his team found that "expected satiety," or the level of fullness we anticipate after a meal, plays a crucial role in our actual feelings of satiety. To test their hypothesis, the researchers used fruit smoothies, manipulating the participants to believe they had consumed either more or less filling beverages.
This time around, Dr. Brown and his team have expanded upon their previous findings by experimenting with solid food. The aim was to examine if their earlier conclusions could be replicated. In the latest study, they establish an intriguing connection between meal perception and subsequent calorie intake.
"My latest work [...] introduces a solid food, lengthening the time over which participants' responses were measured (4 hours so it would be more like the time between breakfast and lunch), adding a behavioural measure (how much people ate at lunch)," Dr. Brown revealed to Medical News Today.
In the study, 26 participants were served breakfast, and their feelings of hunger and satiety, as well as their behavior at subsequent meals, were monitored throughout the day. On two different occasions, participants were told that they were consuming either a two-egg omelette or a four-egg omelette, yet both times they were served omelettes containing three eggs.
The researchers found that when participants thought they had consumed a smaller breakfast, they reported feelings of hunger after just two hours. Moreover, they consumed more during lunch and had a larger calorie intake throughout the day compared to when they believed they had eaten a larger breakfast.
Dr. Brown and his team also collected blood samples from the participants to investigate the role of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin in this phenomenon. Interestingly, their results suggest that changes in reported hunger and the differences in later consumption were not due to differences in participants' physical responses to the food. Instead, the participants' perceptions of the meal before consumption significantly influenced their subsequent state of hunger, as well as their food intake.
"As it turned out, hunger was only significantly different at the 2-hour point [...] As such, what was perhaps surprising was that there was still an influence over how much food was consumed," Dr. Brown explained.
This research highlights the importance of our perceptions in shaping our eating habits. While further studies are needed to confirm these findings, understanding the role of the mind in hunger and satiety regulation could pave the way for innovative, non-invasive strategies to improve people's well-being and dietary habits.
"The end goal of this type of research is to find ways in which we can influence people's behavior in a positive way without having to interfere with day-to-day living," Dr. Brown stated.
Dr. Brown further recommends that future studies on hunger mechanisms prioritize focusing on our minds, rather than our bodies. He also expressed interest in exploring the perception of various types of food and whether the influence of perception on hunger can be maintained over an extended period, such as a month.
"If people were to learn after four or five occasions that, despite their expectations, they were not fuller when they thought that they would be, you would see the data converge," he concluded.
- The field of psychiatry, in collaboration with psychology, is increasingly exploring the role of perceptions in weight management and nutrition, with Dr. Steven Brown leading studies in this area.
- In a recent study, Dr. Brown revealed that participants who perceived they consumed a smaller breakfast reported feelings of hunger sooner and consumed more during subsequent meals, even when the calorie content was the same.
- This research suggests that mental health and well-being are crucial factors in dietary habits, potentially opening avenues for non-invasive strategies to improve health-and-wellness and nutrition.
- By focusing on the role of perceptions, rather than solely physical responses, future studies on hunger mechanisms could lead to innovative approaches for weightloss and effective weight management.
- As Dr. Brown's findings and others in the field continue to develop, we may see a deprecated emphasis on traditional dietary advice, shifting towards embracing the science of mental health and psychology in our approach to health and wellness.
