Anxiety and eating behavior in obese and nonobese American Indians and White Americans.

Compared 80 lower-SES obese and nonobese American Indians and 80 lower-SES obese and nonobese White Americans from multinational backgrounds on a test of emotional arousal theory (EAT), which proposes that obese people overeat when emotionally aroused while nonobese people do not. Ss were administered the trait anxiety form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and then assigned to a high-anxiety (HA) or low-anxiety condition. They were then administered the state form of the STAI and given a taste task to determine whether EAT is predictive of eating behaviors for both ethnic groups. Results indicate that women were more trait and state anxious than were men; HA women, all HA Ss, HA American Indians, and nonobese American Indians were more state anxious than were corresponding groups. Behavioral indicator results generally supported EAT: All obese and high-anxiety-condition obese Ss consumed more food than did nonobese and low-anxiety-condition obese Ss, respectively. The overall consumption of food was greater with American Indians than with White Americans, indicating that EAT does not fully explain American Indian eating behavior. An alternative stress-reaction theory is proposed to more fully account for American Indian eating behavior. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrameal eating patterns of obese and nonobese humans.

Conducted 2 experiments to test whether the intrameal eating patterns of obese and norman-weight human Ss are different. Exp I, with 85 undergraduates, was conducted in a laboratory under the pretense of a taste test. Eating was observed and data were compiled for 7 parameters related to eating. Exp II, with 40 college students, was conducted under field-study conditions with the Ss unaware of their participation. Few statistically significant differences in eating behavior were observed between obese and normal-weight Ss. Results are in contrast to the majority of previous work. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and behavior differences of obese and nonobese adolescents.

36 adolescents categorized as nonobese, obese in a weight control program, and obese who rejected a weight control program were given opportunities to snack and were administered 3 personality tests (Tasks of Emotional Development by Cohen and Weil, the Mooney Problem Check List, and Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale). Results indicate that more obese not in a weight control program ate in an individual eating situation in which they suspected they were being observed. More nonobese ate in a group eating situation in which they did not suspect they were being observed. Results also indicate the highest level of maturity for nonobese adolescents and the lowest level for obese adolescents not in a weight program. Obese adolescents in a weight control program reported fewer "very troublesome" problems than obese adolescents not in a weight control program or nonobese adolescents. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of depressed mood on eating among obese and nonobese dieting and nondieting persons.

Induced a depressed or nondepressed mood in obese and nonobese dieters and nondieters (18 male and 38 female undergraduates). Ss were administered a battery of measures, including the Beck Depression Inventory and Depression Adjective Check List. As predicted, dieters ate more when depressed than when nondepressed, and nondieters ate less when depressed than when nondepressed. That is, both groups reversed their typical eating patterns when depressed. Also as predicted, among depressed Ss, dieters ate more than nondieters; among nondepressed Ss dieters ate less that nondieters. This pattern of results was found for both obese and nonobese Ss. Dieting habits were highlighted as a more salient variable than obesity in predicting eating responses to depressed mood. Findings are discussed with respect to the psychosomatic theory of obesity, the stimulus-binding theory of obesity, previous investigations of clinical depression, and the theory of restrained eating. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of cue salience on the behavior of obese and normal subjects.

Hypothesized that a Body Weight * Cue Salience interaction would occur in determining responsiveness to external cues. Ss were 37 normal and 33 obese male high school students. Obese Ss were expected to be more responsive than normal Ss to highly salient external cues and less responsive to low salient cues. Salience was manipulated by varying the loudness of an auditory cue. Results support the hypothesis (p     

Effect of external cues on the thinking behavior of obese and normal subjects.

Hypothesized that the thinking behavior of obese Ss is externally controlled to a greater extent than that of normals. 36 normal weight and 36 obese male undergraduates served as Ss. It was predicted that obese Ss would spend more time than normals thinking about an assigned topic of thought if there were topic-relevant external cues available, and less time than normals if there were no topic-relevant external cues available. With thinking measured directly by self-report and indirectly by distraction from pain, these predictions were confirmed. It is concluded that differences in eating behavior between obese and normal Ss can be explained by differences in thinking behavior. Therapeutic implications of the cognitive style of the obese are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychopathology of eating disorders: A controlled comparison of bulimic, obese, and normal subjects.

15 bulimic females (mean age 20.8 yrs), 15 obese females (mean age 21.4 yrs), and 15 normal female controls (mean age 21.6 yrs) were administered the MMPI, the SCL-90, the Beck Depression Inventory, and a body image assessment. Results show that bulimics evidenced significantly more psychopathology than did the normal and obese Ss. In particular, bulimics were found to be more depressed, more anxious, and generally more neurotic and impulsive. Bulimics also evidenced a distorted body image in that they perceived themselves as significantly larger and desired to be significantly smaller than did height- and weight-matched controls. Bulimic and obese Ss showed some similarities in eating habits and psychopathology, especially regarding obsessiveness, impulsivity, guilt, preoccupation, and alienation. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Calorigenic response in obese and nonobese women

The calorigenic response to a high protein test meal was studied in women with a history of childhood onset obesity. Obese and nonobese individuals were fasted overnight and basal oxygen consumptions determined the following morning. A semisynthetic 823 kcal high protein test meal was ingested within a 1-hr period followed by hourly determinations of oxygen consumption and plasma levels of insulin, free fatty acids, triglycerides, glucose, amino acids, and urea nitrogen. Amino acid levels increased faster and to a higher plateau in the nonobese group, while insulin levels increased and eventually decreased in a similar fashion in both groups. No differences in basal metabolic rate were detected. The postprandial increment in oxygen consumption was significantly less among the obese subjects. Diminished calorigenesis after each meal would result in accumulation of extra calories provided that caloric consumption is not appropriately decreased. These data suggest that a physiological aberration of energy metabolism may contribute to the development of childhood onset obesity.     

Social stress and eating behavior.

Responds to issues raised by E. R. Bauer (1971), stating that research findings cast considerable doubt on the postulated relationship between social stress and the eating behavior of obese individuals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Serotoninergic manipulation, meal-induced satiety and eating pattern: effect of fluoxetine in obese female subjects

Twelve nondepressed healthy female obese subjects (BMI > 30 kg/m2) took part in a study which conformed to a double-blind randomized crossover design. Each subject acted as her own control across 2 weeks of treatment with either 60 mg of the 5-HT reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine or matching placebo. On days 7 and 14 of both treatment phases subjects were provided with fixed energy lunch meals high in either CHO or fat. The effect of these meals on satiety during the fluoxetine and placebo phases was assessed by a battery of procedures. Subjects felt less hungry after consuming the high CHO meal than after consuming the high-fat meal. They also felt less hungry when taking fluoxetine than when taking the placebo. Analysis of energy intake from the test meal revealed a main effect of prior lunch meal type (high CHO or high fat) and a main effect of drug treatment. Subjects consumed an average of 574 kcal following the high CHO meal compared to 689 kcal following the high-fat meal. Subjects also consumed an average of 532 kcal when taking fluoxetine compared to 730 kcal when taking the placebo. Fluoxetine did not exert any significant effects on macronutrient selection. Mean daily energy intake, calculated from food diary records, was 1881 kcal when subjects were taking the placebo compared to 1460 kcal when taking fluoxetine (a reduction of 22.4%). Fluoxetine treatment produced a significant weight loss of 1.97 kg over the two weeks of treatment compared to a weight loss of only 0.04 kg on placebo.     

Psychological stress and glucose metabolism in obese and normal-weight subjects: A possible mechanism for differences in stress-induced eating.

Compared 10 obese Ss (mean age 51.7 yrs) and 10 age- and sex-matched normal-weight controls in 2 counterbalanced sessions (stress and nonstress). At each session, Ss were fed a carbohydrate load, and glucose was measured 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min after the load. On nonstress days, Ss relaxed after the drink; on stress days, Ss participated in 30 min of competitive tasks. The stressor significantly delayed glucose response in normal-weight Ss but did not affect glucose response in obese Ss. This finding may have implications for differences between obese and normal-weight individuals in stress-induced eating, possibly explaining the decreased consumption of normal-weight individuals during stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of calories on appetite for palatable food in obese and nonobese humans.

In 3 experiments, palatable food stimuli were presented to 11 obese and 11 nonobese male human Ss (mean age 24.5 yrs) 1 hr after ingestion of 900-calorie liquid lunches and (on separate days) identically tasting 450-calorie liquid lunches of equal volume. Salivary responses to the presentation of the stimuli (i.e., appetite) by the nonobese were inhibited by the high-calorie meal, but those by the obese were less inhibited. Hunger ratings were unaffected by calories in either group. Food stimuli were rated as more appetizing by the nonobese after low-calorie than after high-calorie meals, but not so by the obese. Parallels with animal findings suggest that salivary responses reflect lateral hypothalamic activity. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neck and total body fat deposition in nonobese and obese patients with sleep apnea compared with that in control subjects

Recent animal and human studies have suggested that leptin secretion is closely linked to the functions of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the immune system, both of which are crucial in influencing the course and outcome of critical illness. Therefore, we measured basal plasma leptin levels and examined the circadian secretion of leptin, in parallel with the hormones of the HPA axis and a key cytokine, interleukin-6, in critically ill patients with acute sepsis. Sixteen critically ill patients from the University of Leipzig Intensive Care Unit were recruited for this study. All of these patients fulfilled the standard diagnostic criteria for sepsis. Plasma leptin levels were measured in all patients and controls at 09:00. In addition, in a subgroup of eight critically ill patients and all of the nine controls plasma leptin, cortisol, ACTH and interleukin-6 concentrations were measured every 4 hours for 24 hours. Mean plasma leptin levels were three-fold higher (18.9 +/- 4.5 ng/ml) in critically ill patients than controls (3.8 +/- 1.0 ng/ml, p < 0.05). Similarly, ACTH levels were lower (7.8 +/- 3.4 pmol/l) in patients than in controls (17.1 +/- 1.5 pmol/l, p < .001), while plasma cortisol levels were increased (947.6 +/- 144 nmol/l) in patients compared to controls (361.1 +/- 29, p < 0.001). Morning plasma interleukin-6 levels were markedly elevated in all patients with sepsis (1238.0 +/- 543.1 pg/ml) versus controls (6.4 +/- 1.7, p < 0.001). The controls exhibited a nyctohemeral fluctuation in plasma leptin levels with peak levels at 23:00; in contrast, septic patients, had no nocturnal rise of leptin. In healthy controls, plasma leptin and cortisol had reciprocal circadian rhythms with high nocturnal leptin levels and low nocturnal cortisol concentrations; in critically ill patients, this relation was abolished. Mean leptin levels were three-fold higher in patients who survived the septic episode (25.5 +/- 6.2, n = 10) than in non-survivors (8.0 +/- 3.7, n = 6, p < 0.01). We conclude that in addition to its function as an anti-obesity factor, leptin may play a role in a severe stress state such as acute sepsis.     

Anxiety, restraint, and eating behavior.

Hypothesized that individual differences in eating behavior based on the distinction between obese and normal Ss could be demonstrated within a population of normal Ss classified as to the extent of restraint chronically exercised with respect to eating. Ss were 42 female college students. Restrained Ss resembled the obese behaviorally, and unrestrained Ss resembled normals. This demonstration was effected in the context of a test of the psychosomatic hypothesis of obesity. Results indicate that although some individuals may eat more when anxious, there is little empirical support for the notion that eating serves to reduce anxiety. An explanation for this apparent inconsistency is offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety, hunger, and eating behavior.

In this study we examined the effects of anxiety and food deprivation on the amount of food consumed ad lib by dieters and nondieters. Eighty female college students served as subjects in an ostensible market research study in which an anxiety manipulation was embedded. Reassignment of the subjects to anxiety condition on the basis of self-reported anxiety produced a significant (p?     

Self-esteem, restraint, and eating behavior.

The mediating influence of self-esteem on disinhibited eating was assessed in restrained and unrestrained subjects. Self-esteem was unrelated to the eating behavior of unrestrained subjects following a preload, but did moderate the disinhibitory effects of a preload on restrained subjects. Specifically, only those restrained subjects with low self-esteem displayed disinhibited eating after a preload. Theoretical and practical implications of this finding were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In vivo observation of polypeptide flux through the bacterial chaperonin system

The quantitative contribution of chaperonin GroEL to protein folding in E. coli was analyzed. A diverse set of newly synthesized polypeptides, predominantly between 10-55 kDa, interacts with GroEL, accounting for 10%-15% of all cytoplasmic protein under normal growth conditions, and for 30% or more upon exposure to heat stress. Most proteins leave GroEL rapidly within 10-30 s. We distinguish three classes of substrate proteins: (I) proteins with a chaperonin-independent folding pathway; (II) proteins, more than 50% of total, with an intermediate chaperonin dependence for which normally only a small fraction transits GroEL; and (III) a set of highly chaperonin-dependent proteins, many of which dissociate slowly from GroEL and probably require sequestration of aggregation-sensitive intermediates within the GroEL cavity for successful folding.     

The theory of planned behavior and healthy eating.

Application of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to healthy eating in 144 health promotion clinic attendees is reported. Respondents completed self-report TPB measures after the clinic (Time 1) and 6 months later (Time 2) with a measure of perceived past behavior. Intention stability was assessed on Time 1-2 differences. Six years later (Time 3), respondents completed measures of healthy eating intentions and behavior. Intentions were predicted by attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and perceived past behavior (cross-sectionally). Healthy eating behavior (Time 3) was predicted from intentions (Time 2). As intention stability increased, intentions and perceived past behavior became stronger and weaker predictors of behavior, respectively. Implications for understanding health cognitions in long-term performance of health behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bias in behavioral observation as a function of observer familiarity with subjects and typicality of behavior.

Examined the extent of bias in recordings made by highly trained observers on a reliable low-inference instrument when familiar targets displayed behaviors they had never performed in the past. Results suggest that low-inference recordings of specific behavioral classes provide a better approach to reliable and valid clinical assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Binge antecedents in obese women with and without binge eating disorder.

In this study, women with binge eating disorder (BED; n?=?41) and weight- and age-matched comparison women without BED (NBED; n?=?38) monitored their eating for 6 days, using handheld computers to measure mood, appetite, and setting at all eating episodes and comparison noneating episodes. Poor mood, low alertness, feelings of poor eating control, and craving sweets all preceded binge episodes for the BED group. An unanticipated finding was the frequent report of binge episodes in the comparison group; only feelings of poor eating control and craving sweets predicted binge episodes in this group. Binge eating NBED women tended to experience worse mood, less control, and more craving than other NBED women, contributing to evidence of the close relationship of binge eating and decrements in emotional and appetitive functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)