The homeostatic controls over eating are inextricably linked to the reward aspects of eating. The result is an integrated response that coordinates the internal milieu with the prevailing environment. Thus, appetite, which reflects a complex interaction among the external environment, behavioral profile, and subjective states as well as the storage and metabolism of energy, has an important rol...

Food craving (defined as an intense desire to eat a specific food) is of interest because it is extremely common and because it influences obesity or nutritional status. It has also been suggested that food craving may be the evolutionary source for cravings of all kinds including cravings for drugs and alcohol. Yet, little is known about the functional neuroanatomy of food craving. We report h...

Cravings for food as appetite and hunger is a healthy reflex reaction to the body’s need for nutriment, just as thirst is the subjective physiological reaction to dehydration. Hypothalamic neuro-peptides released in response to nutritional demands affect brain circuits driving hunger. Unusual cravings for non-nutritive foods or uncontrollable desires for odd choices or combinations of food may ...

The study investigated the relative effectiveness of thought suppression and the working memory-based method of dynamic visual noise as techniques for reducing food cravings. Twenty dieting women on the weight-loss programme prescribed by weight watchers and 20 non-dieting controls formed images of their most craved food and then suppressed thoughts of the food or watched a flickering pattern o...

The onset of cravings for items not typically desired is often considered a hallmark of pregnancy. Given the ubiquity of cravings, this phenomenon remains surprisingly understudied. The current study tested four hypotheses of pregnancy food cravings: behavioural immune system, nutrient seeking, resource scarcity and social bargaining. The research took place in Tamil Nadu, South India, with pre...

Diet failures are often attributed to an increase in cravings for attractive foods. However, accumulating evidence shows that food cravings actually decrease during energy-restricting weight-loss interventions. The current study aimed at elucidating possible mechanisms that may explain how and under which circumstances food cravings in- or decrease during dieting. Specifically, decreases in foo...

Food cravings are extremely common, particularly among women. Cravings are frequently reported for specific types of foods, including chocolate and foods high in both sugar and fat. Cravings for specific macronutrients, such as carbohydrate, have been postulated to result from a physiological need to alter neurotransmitters in such states as eating disorders, affective disorders or obesity. How...

Women in the United States experience an increase in food cravings at two specific times during their life, (1) perimenstrually and (2) prenatally. The prevalence of excess gestational weight gain (GWG) is a growing concern due to its association with adverse health outcomes in both mothers and children. To the extent that prenatal food cravings may be a determinant of energy intake in pregnanc...

BACKGROUND Cravings in pregnancy are considered to alter dietary intake; however, the nutritional consequences are unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of food cravings in pregnancy, and their contribution, as a potentially modifiable determinant of weight gain and the development of obesity in pregnancy. METHODS Healthy pregnant women were participants in the Belfas...

The present study examined whether mindfulness-based strategies can effectively reduce food cravings in an overweight and obese adult population. Individuals participating in a dietary group treatment for overweight received an additional 7-week manual based training that aimed to promote regulation of cravings by means of acceptance. The control group did not receive this additional training p...