Eating behavior - obesity Flashcards
Biologists explain obesity through an interaction of what?
genes and neurotransmitters
what are concordance rates between first-degree relatives for obesity?
20%-50% suggesting heritability
what neurotransmitters are involved in obesity?
seratonin and dopamine
how is serotonin involved in obesity?
serotonin -> regulate eating by inhibiting activity in VMH
VMH is alerted that we are full and triggers satiety
obese people have less serotonin and therefore do not feel full as quickly/easily
what is obesity co-morbid with and why?
depression = low levels of serotonin
obesity = low levels of serotonin
they go hand in hand
how is dopamine involved in obesity?
- dopamine stimulates pleasure in hypothalamus and amygdala
- feels pleasure after behaviours of eating
- obese people have less dopamine D2 receptors and dysfunctional dopamine system
- this means less production of dopamine
- less pleasure from small amounts of food
- eat more for more pleasure
what are the psychological explanations for obesity
- restraint theory
- disinhibition theory
- boundary model
explain restraint theory
- cognitive
- obesity = restrained eating
- setting strict limits and imposing cognitive control over physiology
- this is counter productive
- end up over eating
- trying to ignore food makes u focus on food and over eating becoming obese
explain disinhibition theory
includes everything in restraint BUT adds that cues around use (media, friends) act as a trigger and cause us to eat
restrained eating is followed by period of disinhibition - eating whatever you want
explain all or nothing thinking in the disinhibition theory
you have one bit of food due to the trigger but then eat loads because youve already had some
who developed boundary model
herman and polivy
from BM explain ‘normal’ eating behaviour
- Food intake exists on a continuim
- goes from hungary to full
- at each end of the continuim biology is the main adherent in what we eat
- when we feel a lack of enegry we eat to the satiety boundary
- once weve eaten to a certain point we feel uncomfy and stop eating
- inbetween the continuim is the biological indifference zone
what is the biological indifference zone
biological mechanisms do not make us full or hungry
social and cognitive factors have the most impact on what we eat
for BM explain dieters eating behaviour
- lower hungary boundary and less responsive to feelings of hunger
- higher satiety to boundary and need more food to feel full
- larger zone of biological indifference making them more vulnerable to the effects of disinhibition
- self imposed upper boundary that marks the most they want to eat, this is below satiety boundary
- if they break this boundary they will eat up to and past the satiety boundary
- this is the what the hell phenomena
for BM, how does diet = obesity
when they break cog boundary this = trigger/disinhibitor
they experience what the hell phenomenon
then eat beyond noraml setiety bound
and overeat
