Food intake in response to food-cue exposure. Examining the influence of duration of the cue exposure and trait impulsivity

The present study experimentally tested whether the effect of olfactory food-cue exposure on young women’s food intake was moderated by the duration of the cue exposure and trait impulsivity. The study employed a 2 (food-cue exposure: smell of baked cookies present vs. no-smell present) by 2 (duration of cue exposure: short-term vs. long-term) between-participants design. Participants were 109 normal-weight young women (mean age = 21.6 years) whose food intake was examined during a bogus taste-test. Additional saliva measures were taken during food-cue exposure. Results showed that the duration of the cue exposure did not affect intake. Impulsivity moderated intake, but not saliva flow. Low impulsive females consumed more food when confronted with an olfactory food-cue, whereas high-impulsive females did not eat more after food-cue exposure. Our findings may be explained by the fact that we did not instruct our participants to pay attention to the olfactory food-cue. Results indicate that even people who are normally well controlled are susceptible to the effects of less explicit olfactory food-cues.