title: Attenuated interoceptive sensitivity in overweight and obese individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Perceiving internal signals of hunger and satiety is related to the regulation of food intake. Recent data suggest that interoception (perception of bodily signals) and interoceptive sensitivity (sensitivity for internal signals) might be a crucial variable for the regulation of behavior associated with feelings of satiety. It is yet unclear whether interoceptive sensitivity is altered in overweight and obese participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  We therefore examined interoceptive sensitivity among 75 overweight and obese women and men using a heartbeat detection task and compared them to normal weight controls. We hypothesized that overweight and obesity would be related to attenuated interoceptive sensitivity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interoceptive sensitivity was higher in normal weight participants as compared to overweight and obese participants. Additionally, we found a negative correlation coefficient between the BMI and interoceptive sensitivity in the overweight and obese group only.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In accordance with our hypotheses, we found evidence for reduced interoceptive sensitivity in overweight and obese individuals. Interoceptive sensitivity presumably interacts with the regulation of food intake in everyday life in part by facilitating the detection of bodily changes accompanying satiety. Overweight and obese individuals might experience greater difficulties in accurately detecting such signals due to reduced interoceptive sensitivity.
authors: Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: beate.herbert@uni-ulm.de.
authors: Beate M
authors: BM
authors: Herbert
authors: Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: olga.pollatos@uni-ulm.de.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Pollatos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D012527:Satiation / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Food intake; Insula; Interoception; Interoceptive sensitivity; Obesity; Overweight