Food Cue Reactivity in Fasting and Non-Fasting Subjects

In the present study, psychophysiological food cue reactivity was studied in fasting and non-fasting subjects. It was expected that food related stimuli would elicit stronger responses than control (soap) stimuli and that responses to food stimuli would be particularly strong in fasting subjects. The results show that although the subjects' craving was larger during presentation of food cues than during control stimuli, the larger craving was not reflected in increased psychophysiological responsivity (heart rate; frequency of skin conductance (SC) fluctuations) or salivation. Subjects in the fasting condition had a lower baseline frequency of SC-fluctuations, and a trend towards lower heart rate, indicating decreased sympathetic tonic level. In comparison with non-fasting subjects, no specifically enlarged food cue reactivity was found in fasting subjects. It is proposed that future research into food cue reactivity should focus on the role of learning rather than deprivation.