Odour-imagery Ability is Linked to Food Craving, Intake, and Adiposity Change in Humans

Overview

Journal Nat Metab

Publisher Springer Nature

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2023 Aug 28

PMID 37640944

Authors

Emily E Perszyk

Xue S Davis

Jelena Djordjevic

Marilyn Jones-Gotman

Jessica Trinh

Zach Hutelin

Maria G Veldhuizen

Leonie Koban

Tor D Wager

Hedy Kober

Dana M Small

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

It is well-known that food-cue reactivity (FCR) is positively associated with body mass index (BMI) and weight change, but the mechanisms underlying these relationships are incompletely understood. One prominent theory of craving posits that the elaboration of a desired substance through sensory imagery intensifies cravings, thereby promoting consumption. Olfaction is integral to food perception, yet the ability to imagine odours varies widely. Here we test in a basic observational study whether this large variation in olfactory imagery drives FCR strength to promote adiposity in 45 adults (23 male). We define odour-imagery ability as the extent to which imagining an odour interferes with the detection of a weak incongruent odour (the 'interference effect'). As predicted in our preregistration, the interference effect correlates with the neural decoding of imagined, but not real, odours. These perceptual and neural measures of odour imagery are in turn associated with FCR, defined by the rated craving intensity of liked foods and cue-potentiated intake. Finally, odour imagery exerts positive indirect effects on changes in BMI and body-fat percentage over one year via its influences on FCR. These findings establish odour imagery as a driver of FCR that in turn confers risk for weight gain.

Citing Articles

Validation of a laboratory craving assessment and evaluation of 4 different interventions on cravings among adults with overweight or obesity.

Pasquale E, Strong D, Eichen D, Peterson C, Kang-Sim D, Boutelle K Appetite. 2024; 200:107575.

PMID: 38908407 PMC: 11268125. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107575.

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