Executive-Control Processes in High-Calorie Food Consumption

Abstract

Human beings have reliable preferences for energy-rich foods; these preferences are present at birth and possibly innate. Relatively recent changes in our day-to-day living context have rendered such foods commonly encountered, nearly effortless to procure, and frequently brought to mind. Theoretical, conceptual, and empirical perspectives from the field of social neuroscience support the hypothesis that the increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in first- and second-world countries may be a function of these dynamics coupled with our highly evolved but ultimately imperfect capacities for self-control. This review describes the significance of executive-control systems for explaining the occurrence of nonhomeostatic forms of dietary behavior—that is, those aspects of calorie ingestion that are not for the purpose of replacing calories burned. I focus specifically on experimental findings—including those from cortical-stimulation studies—that collectively support a causal role for executive-control systems in modulating cravings for and consumption of high-calorie foods.