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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #313568
Research Project: Dietary Guidelines Adherence and Healthy Body Weight Maintenance

Location: Healthy Body Weight Research

Title: Food reinforcement and delay discounting in zBMI-discordant siblings

Author
item FEDA, DENISE - University Of Buffalo
item Roemmich, James
item ROBERTS, APRIL - University Of Buffalo
item EPSTEIN, LEONARD - University Of Buffalo

Submitted to: Appetite
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/19/2014
Publication Date: 2/1/2015
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/60295
Citation: Feda, D.M., Roemmich, J.N., Roberts, A., Epstein, L.H. 2015. Food reinforcement and delay discounting in zBMI-discordant siblings. Appetite. 85:185-189.

Interpretive Summary: The reinforcing value of food and the inability to put off larger delayed rewards for more immediate smaller rewards (delay gratification) are related to the energy intake and obesity of adults. This study was designed to test whether adolescent siblings who were discordant for obesity differed in food reinforcement and inability to delay gratification. Sibling pairs who had greater differences in food reinforcement also had greater differences in adiposity. This relationship was moderated by delay of gratification of the siblings. Sibling pairs with greater differences in food reinforcement and delay of gratification had the greatest differences in zBMI. Thus, an adolescent sibling who has higher food reinforcement and a greater inability to delay gratification is at greatest risk for having much more body fat than their sibling.

Technical Abstract: The interaction of food reinforcement and the inability to delay gratification are related to adult energy intake and obesity. This study was designed to test the association of sibling pair differences in relative reinforcing efficacy of food and delay discounting on sibling pair differences in zBMI scores of same-gender zBMI-discordant siblings. Design and methods: We tested delay discounting and relative reinforcing efficacy of food in 14 zBMI-discordant biological sibling pairs using a discordant sibling study design. Results: Sibling pair differences in relative reinforcing efficacy of food were associated with sibling pair differences in zBMI (p = 0.046); this effect was moderated by delay discounting (p < 0.002). Sibling pairs with greater differences in relative reinforcing efficacy and delay discounting had greater differences in zBMI. Conclusions: The combination of greater sibling pair differences in delay discounting and greater sibling pair differences in relative reinforcing efficacy is associated with greater discordance in zBMI in adolescent sibling pairs.