Restrained eating is related to accelerated reaction to high caloric foods and cardiac autonomic dysregulation

Cognitive bias to food-cues and cardiac autonomic dysregulation have both been related to disordered eating behavior in previous research. The present study investigated two possible measures of self-regulatory ability in restrained eaters: resistance to distractor interference and vagal-cardiac control. Young women (N = 47) performed a flanker task involving high caloric food-cues or neutral pictures. Vagal-cardiac activity was calculated from baseline heart rate recordings at rest. Restrained eaters did not differ from unrestrained eaters in resistance to distractor interference. However, restrained eaters showed shorter reaction times to high-calorie food-cues as compared to neutral pictures than unrestrained eaters. This attentional bias was further related to low dieting success. Moreover, restrained eating was associated with low parasympathetic activation and sympathovagal imbalance, independent of current body mass. Both attentional bias and cardiac autonomic dysregulation were related to self-reported weight fluctuations. Results are discussed in terms of possible adverse consequences of weight cycling in young women and low self-regulatory ability in restrained eaters.

► Distractor interference and cardiac autonomic activity were measured in young women.
► Restrained eaters showed accelerated reaction times to high caloric food-cues.
► Attentional bias to food-cues was inversely related to dieting success.
► Restrained eaters displayed sympathetic dominance at rest after controlling for BMI.
► Attentional bias and sympathovagal imbalance were especially related to weight cycling.