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A systematic review on food-related bias and brain response in obese people
- 1 Southwest University
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Eating is an essential part in daily life; unhealthy eating habits can increase the risk of obesity and may ultimately trigger various diseases. This review investigated the brain activation patterns, food choice preferences, reward system dysfunction, and impulsive behavior in obese people in response to food cues. This study found that obese individuals showed significant differences in the activation of brain regions in response to food stimuli, particularly in the regions associated with reward, compared to healthy, normal-weight people. In addition, obese individuals were more likely to choose palatable foods high in calories, fat, and sugar, which may be related to abnormalities in the reward system. At the same time, obese individuals showed a higher propensity for impulsive behavior (more willing to choose to consume palatable food that brings happiness at that moment but ignores the long-term health problem). These findings provide a new perspective for understanding the neural mechanisms of obesity and provide a theoretical basis for developing effective interventions.
Keywords
obesity, Neuromechanism, reward system, impulsivity, fMRI
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Cite this article
Feng,M. (2025). A systematic review on food-related bias and brain response in obese people. Advances in Social Behavior Research,16(1),67-73.
Data availability
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.
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