- What Contributes to Appetite?
- Take our Emotional Eating Test
- Find a therapist near me
Key points
- The use of GLP-1 and GIP weight-loss drugs has revealed the profound affect of food noise.
- Research into those drugs has pointed to complex food noise mechanisms.
- Information about food noise could benefit many who struggle with their weight.
The advent of the GLP-1 and GIP agonist drugs has brought along with it an increased focus on “food noise.” Many people on one or both of those medications report a serious reduction in food noise, which has been defined as “intrusive and often unwanted thoughts about food.” As more and more research has emerged, reduction of food noise has been identified as a major key to the weight loss seen with these drugs, and to weight loss in general
The Science
In people with type 2 diabetes, the GLP-1s and GIPs (known as incretin hormones) have been shown to improve glycemic control and reduce plasma glucose. As it turns out, both type 2 diabetics and people with obesity show impaired GLP-1 secretion in the gut. Both groups taking the supplemental incretin hormones show a reduction in food intake and appetite
GLP-1 and GIP supplements have a wide distribution in many areas of the brain as well, thanks to their ability to cross the blood-brain barriere hypothalamus, which is like an orchestra leader for many feedback mechanisms related to appetite and appetite control. For example, introducing incretin hormones to the hypothalamus has been shown to reduce hedonic eating, which is eating for pleasure rather than hunger
Other areas of the brain that are affected by the supplemental incretin hormones include the parietal cortex, the brainstem, and the dopaminergic system. The dopaminergic system is a particular area of interest. Research has shown that people with higher body mass index (BMI) show altered dopamine D2 receptor density, which can dampen the experience of food and turn up the volume on food noise
The Human Aspect
All this complexity means that mitigating food noise can show up in many ways. The response can be quite individual. Case in point: Emotional eating is the nemesis of many individuals who are trying to lose weight or prevent weight gain. Some people are more prone to trying to regulate mood by eating than others. Different people will also have different emotional responses to food, based on many variables including culture, family, and environment. In addition, an individual food may or may not trigger an emotional response depending on visual appeal, high caloric density, or even convenience.
People respond to the food they see, or food cues, differently. Research has found that sometimes being in a loud, busy environment can drown out internal cues and cause people to overeat. And, of course, there is our ever-enticing environment with the abundance of convenience foods and appealing visual cues on media
But food cues need not be present. Research has found that people can think about food in its absence as well
Now, there is a plethora of self-report questionnaires to evaluate the different aspects of food noise. To name a few: power of food, eating in the absence of hunger, cravings scale, food cue sensitivity, negative affect, fatigue/boredom, lack of control over eating, lack of satiation, and food cue rumination. All of these are designed as assessment tools, but it’s not clear how widely they are used
- What Contributes to Appetite?
- Take our Emotional Eating Test
- Find a therapist near me
Keeping It Simple
It is worth getting the message out about food noise. In a distinctly limited and unofficial poll I conducted, I did not run into anyone who had heard of food noise or knew what it is, including some who are on a GLP-1. It may be well known to health writers, researchers, and others in the health field, so it may seem to those folks that it is part of the general zeitgeist. However, that is probably not the case
Some individuals on the incretin drugs report that they had been unaware of the food noise that was part of their everyday existence. Because it was always there, it went unnoticed until it wasn’t there
One of the huge advantages of learning about food noise is that it can take away the guilt, the low self-esteem, and the frustration experienced by many who deem themselves lacking in willpower or a hopeless case. To keep it simple, weight loss coaches or health professionals can explain that our bodies and brains can become hijacked, causing us to lose track of what a healthy approach to food consumption looks like and feels like
Appetite Essential Reads
Why Trying to “Be Good” With Food Can Backfire
What Food Noise Means
It can also be used as a way to explain why dieting can be a recipe for failure. Food noise gets turned up when the body is in restriction, making it very difficult to sustain. This can lead to a never-ending cycle of yo-yo dieting. This speaks to the so-called “chronic nature of obesity.”
Unfortunately, GLP-1s and GIPs do not permanently alter the complexity that is food noise. It comes back if there is cessation of these drugs. Our bodies and brains do not start to take over and reinvent themselves in ways that would allow us to carry on with appetite control on our own
All things considered, the more we can create awareness around food noise, the better. It can be a useful step toward self-awareness for anyone who deals with how to eat, whether they are actively trying to lose weight or just trying to skip the potato chips they normally have with lunch
Janik, D., et al. (2026). Deciphering ‘Food Noise’ in the Era of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists: A Comprehensive Narrative Review of Neurobiological Mechanisms and Clinical Implications for Health Education. Journal of Education, Health and Sport.88:69532
Nauck, M.A., Meier, J.J. (2018). Incretin hormones: Their role in health and disease. Diabetes Obes Metab.Suppl 1:5–21
Kanoski, S.E., Boutelle, K.N. (2022). Food cue reactivity: Neurological and behavioral underpinnings. Reviews in Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders. 23:683–696
