Weight, Diabetes Status Significantly Influence Perceptions of Food
Among various weights and diabetes diagnoses, researchers explored the differences in patients’ food perceptions when considering weight management and appetite.
Patients’ weight and whether or not they had diabetes were significant influences in their perceptions of food, according to data published in Appetite.1 With factors that particularly influenced patients’ perception of healthiness, satiating capacity, and successful weight management, researchers suggested a need for more personalized guidelines that focus on weight and comorbidities like diabetes.
“Food choice and intake are important in the foundation of a healthy lifestyle, but many factors influence appetite control and eating behavior,” wrote authors of the study. “Among them are peoples’ perceptions of foods. Food perceptions cover many aspects, e.g., to which extent food is associated with hedonic overeating, relation to weight management, health, and satiating capacity.”
Participants were given surveys that asked them about a variety of different foods, from those that were sweet and high in fat to savory foods low in fat. | image credit: Natee Meepian / stock.adobe.com
When considering all aspects of food perceptions, hedonic overeating is important because of its ability to lead to increased risk of poor health outcomes. According to the authors, hedonic overeating is “eating beyond metabolic requirements from the expectation and/or experience of the pleasure obtained from consuming specific foods.”
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However, hedonic overeating is just one factor that contributes to patients’ obesity, diabetes, their eating habits, their perceptions of food, and so much more. Researchers introduced their study by exploring various factors that contribute to food perceptions.
“Food choice and intake is highly influenced by habitual behaviors, and to change these behaviors, the individual would have to consistently learn to make conscious decisions to choose ‘healthy’ foods,” they continued.1
One notable action common amongst people with obesity and diabetes is dividing foods into healthy or unhealthy categories. With dietary components being such a significant factor in food choice, patients may not even consider their perceptions of how food smells and tastes, which can also significantly impact food intake and subsequent outcomes.
With previous knowledge of the complex interplay between food intake, weight and diabetes management, and patients’ perception of food, researchers attempted to get a further grasp on how all of these dietary and weight management factors are associated with each other.
“It is currently unknown whether perceptions of food differ between people with different weight and diabetes status in the context of appetite and weight management,” continued the authors.1 “Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore differences in food perceptions relating to appetite and weight management (specifically: hedonic overeating, successful weight management, healthiness, and satiating capacity) in people with different weight and diabetes status.”
Participants were given surveys that asked them about a variety of different foods, from those that were sweet and high in fat to savory foods low in fat. On top of basic patient characteristics and consumption frequency, participants were asked to measure the foods based on pleasantness, taste, perceived fat content, association with successful weight management, hedonic overeating, perceived healthiness and satiating capacity, and expected consumption.
Researchers recruited a total of 349 participants (mean age, 58.8 years; 66.5% women) to include in their final analysis. Among the study population, 90 were included in the normal weight (NW) group, 137 in the obese or overweight (OB/OW) group, and 122 in the obese or overweight with type 2 diabetes (OW/OB+T2D) group.
“The most notable finding was that across most food categories, the NW group rated the foods as the most filling, followed by the OW/OB group, while the OW/OB + T2D group gave the lowest ratings for satiating capacity,” they wrote.1
With significant findings across all 3 group’s perceptions of food, the most notable was how patients with OW/OB + T2D were much less likely to be satisfied with their food portions when compared with people with just OW or OB, or people with NW. Further highlighting the complex interplay of perceptions, food intake, and weight management, this finding also suggests the OW/OB + T2D group is more susceptible to hedonic overeating.
The study researchers presented ample evidence regarding the various eating habits of multiple different patient populations. Their findings confirmed previous studies that suggest a personalized approach to diabetes and weight management. On the opposite end, experts agree that the “one-size-fits-all” approach of telling patients to “eat less and move more” is not conducive to the unique patient profiles that so many people with obesity and diabetes possess.2
“These findings highlight the complex interplay between food perceptions, weight, and diabetes status, suggesting a need for more personalized dietary guidelines that address specific characteristics across weight and diabetes groups. Further research is needed to explore if and how dietary guidelines can influence food perceptions and how food perceptions can guide tailored interventions for individuals with and without T2D,” concluded authors of the study.1
READ MORE: Obesity Management Resource Center
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