Mild hunger elicits attentional desensitization to visual food cues in healthy, non-obese individuals

Schlezingerová, Nicol; Málková, Petra; Kocourek, Martin; Kocourek, Martin; Telenský, Petr · 2024 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1441184

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Summary

This study investigates how mild hunger influences visual attention to food cues in healthy, non-obese individuals, addressing a gap in understanding the post-prandial state’s impact on visual processing. While the omnipresence of food cues is linked to obesity, it remains unclear whether hunger enhances or diminishes attention to these stimuli in normal-weight populations. The researchers aimed to determine if a 12-hour fast alters visual attention to food versus non-food images and whether this modulation is driven by physiological arousal or attentional interference. The experimental design involved 46 participants randomly assigned to either a fasted group (12-hour fast) or a satiated group (breakfast consumed within two hours). Visual attention was measured using eye-tracking technology to record fixation durations on high-energy food, low-energy food, and non-food stimuli. To assess physiological arousal and attentional interference, the study also measured electrodermal activity (EDA) and performance on a Food Stroop task. Salivary samples were collected to analyze cortisol and alpha-amylase levels, while subjective hunger and satiety were evaluated using a Visual Analog Scale. The results revealed that fasted participants exhibited a progressive decline in visual attention toward food stimuli over time, a phenomenon termed attentional desensitization. This decrease in fixation duration was specific to food images, regardless of their energy content, and was not observed in the satiated group or for non-food stimuli. Contrary to expectations that hunger might heighten focus on food, the fasted state led to reduced visual engagement. Furthermore, no significant differences were found between groups in EDA responses or Food Stroop reaction times, indicating that the attentional changes were independent of physiological arousal and attentional interference. Salivary analysis showed that satiated individuals had higher alpha-amylase levels, which were inversely correlated with subjective hunger ratings, while cortisol levels did not differ between groups. These findings suggest that mild hunger elicits attentional desensitization to visual food cues rather than heightened bias, challenging the notion that hunger always increases focus on food stimuli. The study concludes that visual attention to food is modulated by satiety states independently of stress or physiological arousal. Additionally, the inverse relationship between alpha-amylase and hunger suggests that this biomarker may serve as an indicator of satiety rather than stress. This work provides new insights into the mechanisms of hunger-related visual processing and may inform future research on food cue reactivity in both healthy and obese populations.

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• stress arousal performance