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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #375186
Research Project: Energy Met.: Novel Approaches to Facilitating Successful Energy Regulation in Aging--Obesity & Met.: Role of Adipocyte Metabolism in the Development of Obesity and Associated Metabolic Complications

Location: Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging

Title: Food cravings: associations with dietary intake and metabolic health

Author
item TAETZSCH, AMY - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item GILHOOLY, CHERYL - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item LICHTENSTEIN, ALICE - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item KRAUSS, AMY - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item BUKHARI, ASMA - Us Army Research Institute Of Environmental Medicine
item MARTIN, EDWARD - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item HATCH-MCCHESNEY, ADRIENNE - Us Army Research Institute Of Environmental Medicine
item DAS, SAI KRUPA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Appetite
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/9/2020
Publication Date: 4/10/2020
Citation: Taetzsch, A., Roberts, S.B., Gilhooly, C.H., Lichtenstein, A.H., Krauss, A.J., Bukhari, A., Martin, E., Hatch-McChesney, A., Das, S. 2020. Food cravings: associations with dietary intake and metabolic health. Appetite. 152. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2020.104711.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2020.104711

Interpretive Summary: Food cravings are a desire for specific foods which, if uncontrolled, may lead to excess energy intake and weight gain. However, information is limited on the relationship between food cravings, dietary intake, and factors that are associated with risk for disease. The association between cravings, dietary intake and health-related indices was evaluated in female beneficiaries of active duty and retired military personnel, who were enrolled in a weight loss and maintenance study. 229 obese women who were around 41 years old were part of this evaluation. In individuals who reported their dietary intake with greater accuracy we found that higher food craving scores were associated with a lower diet quality, higher eating frequency, longer daily eating interval and a lower likelihood of following a time restricted eating pattern. Food cravings were associated with a higher BMI and waist circumference but not with measures of disease risk. Our findings of significant associations of food cravings with lower diet quality, poor eating patterns, and unfavorable body composition strongly support efforts targeting cravings in behavioral programs for weight management.

Technical Abstract: Food cravings are a desire for specific foods which, if uncontrolled may lead to excess energy intake and weight gain. However, information on the relation between food cravings, dietary intake, and indices of metabolic health is limited. This study used baseline data from females (n = 229; aged 40.9 +/- 0.7 years; BMI 34.7 +/- 6.4 kg/m^2) who were dependents of active duty and retired military personnel, and enrolled in the Healthy Families Healthy Forces weight loss and maintenance study. Measures obtained included food cravings using the Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait (which provides a habitual and stable measure of food cravings), dietary composition and eating patterns from three 24-h dietary recalls and the Stanford 7-day Physical Activity Recall, body composition from anthropometric measures, cardiometabolic risk factors from blood measures, and demographic information from questionnaires. Linear, quantile, or logistic regression models were used to examine the association of total food craving scores on dietary intake, and indices of metabolic health. In individuals reporting plausible energy intake (n = 146; 2210 +/- kcals/day) higher food craving scores were associated with a lower diet quality (P < 0.05), higher eating frequency (P = 0.02), longer daily eating interval (P < 0.05), and a lower likelihood of following a time restricted eating pattern (P = 0.02). Food cravings were also positively associated with BMI (P = 0.03) and waist circumference (P = 0.01), but not with measures of cardiometabolic risk (LDL, HDL, total cholesterol:HDL, triglycerides, glucose, glycated hemoglobin, insulin and C-reactive protein concentrations, blood pressure, metabolic syndrome). Our findings of significant associations of food cravings with lower diet quality, poor eating patterns, and unfavorable body composition strongly support efforts of targeting cravings in behavioral programs for weight management.