Talk by Dr. Uku Vainik, University of Tartu, Estonia

Uncontrolled eating: a unifying heritable trait linked with obesity,overeating, personality and the brain

  • Date: May 20, 2019
  • Time: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Uku Vainik, PhD
  • Research Fellow, Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Estonia
  • Location: MPI for Metabolism Resarch
  • Room: Seminar room 1
  • Host: Dr. Marc Tittgemeyer
  • Contact: marc.tittgemeyer@sf.mpg.de
Talk by Dr. Uku Vainik, University of Tartu, Estonia
Obesity is intertwined with behaviour. Many eating-related behaviours have been proposed to explain obesity, such as food addiction, disinhibition and emotional eating. However, these behaviours tend to similarities based on both statistics and definitions. I propose that these behaviours can be aggregated into a single broad trait – Uncontrolled Eating. Such an approach enables reviewing and meta‐analysing evidence done on each individual behaviour. I review evidence how the aggregated Uncontrolled Eating has robust associations with body mass index, food intake, personality traits, and brain systems. I also map out Uncontrolled Eating’s behavioural similarity with other addictions and psychiatric conditions. In summary, Uncontrolled Eating summarises important behavioural aspects of obesity.
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