The relationship between inhibitory control and food consumption or choice: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Excess consumption of unhealthy foods has become a major public health problem. Although one potential contributor to unhealthy consumption is poor inhibitory control, findings have been inconsistent. A meta-analysis of 35 studies was conducted to determine whether, and under which conditions, inhib...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Appetite 2023-04, Vol.183, p.106466-106466, Article 106466
Main Authors: McGreen, Joshua, Kemps, Eva, Tiggemann, Marika
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
appetite
Child
Choice Behavior
Food
Food choice
Food consumption
Food Preferences
gender
Go/no-go task
Humans
Inhibition, Psychological
Inhibitory control
meta-Analysis
public health
Stop-signal task
systematic review
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Summary:Excess consumption of unhealthy foods has become a major public health problem. Although one potential contributor to unhealthy consumption is poor inhibitory control, findings have been inconsistent. A meta-analysis of 35 studies was conducted to determine whether, and under which conditions, inhibitory control, as measured by the Go/No-Go and Stop-Signal tasks, is associated with food consumption/choice. Moderators included the type of stimuli (neutral or food-specific) used in measuring inhibitory control, sample differences (e.g., age, gender, and weight), and the measure of food consumption or choice. Overall, there was a small positive association between inhibitory control and food consumption/choice, r = .09, CI95 = [0.04, 0.14], p = .001. This held for the Stop-Signal Task in general, and for the Go/No-Go Task for children and when food consumption/choice was measured objectively. The present meta-analysis provides the first comprehensive evidence that inhibitory control, as measured by the Go/No-Go and Stop-Signal tasks, is associated with food consumption or choice, and points to inhibitory control as a potential target for reducing unhealthy food consumption.
ISSN:0195-6663
1095-8304
DOI:10.1016/j.appet.2023.106466