title: Distraction, not hunger, is associated with lower mood and lower perceived work performance on fast compared to non-fast days during intermittent fasting.
abstract: Using a repeated measures design, 16 females recorded hunger, distraction, mood and perceived work performance on two consecutive fast days, on two earlier and on two subsequent consecutive non-fast days, during intermittent fasting. Using regression analyses, low positive mood was associated with higher distraction (β = -0.38, p < 0.01), and lower perceived work performance was associated with higher distraction (β = -0.50, p < 0.01) and lower positive mood (β = 0.59, p = 0.01). No associations were found with hunger (largest β = -0.11, p = 0.15). Associations between mood, perceived work performance and distraction but not hunger mirror those found in traditional dieting and suggest no benefit for attention from intermittent fasting-type regimes.
authors.affiliation: Bournemouth University, UK k.appleton@bournemouth.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Appleton
authors.affiliation: Bournemouth University, UK.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005215:Fasting / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology*; D000066477:Work Performance; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cognitive processing; diet; eating behaviour; mood; weight loss