Association of dietary restraint and disinhibition with eating behavior, body mass, and hunger.

This study investigated the association of dietary restraint and disinhibition with self-reported and actual eating behavior, body mass, and hunger. A sample of 124 women were categorized into one of four groups based upon high and low scores on measures of Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition using the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire. Half of the participants in each group consumed a high sugar/high fat chocolate pudding as a dietary preload. All participants were given a meal comprised of a standard macaroni and beef product. The interaction of Dietary Restraint and Disinhibition was related to differences in body mass. The Dietary Restraint factor was related to self-reported pathological eating behavior and influenced both perceived hunger and subjective hunger ratings. However, actual eating behavior measured by calories consumed and rate of intake was unrelated to the Dietary Restraint factor. Disinhibition was associated with excessive eating, an increased rate of eating, self-reports of eating disorder symptomatology, and perceived hunger. Hence, actual eating behavior was significantly influenced by the ingestive motivational factor, Disinhibition, but not by the cognitive factor, Dietary Restraint. These data also suggest that the Disinhibition construct is measuring overeating rather than disinhibited eating which implies the disruption of Dietary Restraint.