title: Training inhibitory control. A recipe for resisting sweet temptations.
abstract: When inhibitory control is lacking, people are more prone to indulge in high calorie food. This research examined whether training to inhibit food-related responses renders one less susceptible to temptations of high calorie food. Trait chocolate lovers were divided into three conditions: participants either consistently inhibited responding to chocolate stimuli (chocolate/no-go condition), consistently responded to chocolate stimuli (chocolate/go condition), or responded to chocolate stimuli only during half the trials (control condition). Chocolate consumption was measured following the manipulation with a taste test. Chocolate consumption did not differ between the control condition and the chocolate/go condition, and increased as a function of dietary restraint in both conditions. In the chocolate/no-go condition, however, chocolate consumption was significantly reduced, and higher levels of dietary restraint were associated with decreased chocolate intake. These findings demonstrate that repeatedly practicing inhibitory control over food-related responses can help people regain control over the consumption of high calorie food.
authors.affiliation: Maastricht University, The Netherlands. K.Houben@maastrichtuniversity.nl
authors.forename: Katrijn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Houben
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002099:Cacao; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055697:Taste Perception; D055815:Young Adult