Research

Adherence

Attention bias toward food in obese individuals is not consistently characterized by approach (craving); it can also manifest as avoidance (worry) or show no difference compared to healthy-weight individuals.

Don't assume that your attention to food is always a sign of craving. For some, it might be worry or dieting intentions causing avoidance. If you find yourself avoiding food cues, it might be because you are trying to restrict intake. Recognizing this can help you address the underlying motivation rather than just fighting the attention itself.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
current evidence on attention bias for food cues in obese participants is very mixed, as there is empirical evidence for approach, avoidance and approach-avoidance attention processes in obese v. healthy-weight participants when viewing food cues.
Jessica Werthmann et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2014

Why this rating

The paper explicitly states evidence is 'very mixed' and 'contradictory' across studies.

Source

Worry or craving? A selective review of evidence for food-related attention biases in obese individuals, eating-disorder patients, restrained eaters and healthy samples

Jessica Werthmann et al. · Proceedings of The Nutrition Society · 2014

DOI 10.1017/s0029665114001451

narrative_reviewCited 196×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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