Last week, WeightWatchers announced the findings of its “Beyond Hunger: Understanding Food Noise” report focusing on people living with overweight or obesity and their experience of constant rumination about food, known as “food noise.” In partnership with STOP Obesity Alliance at George Washington University’s Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness, the study reveals a deeper understanding of food noise, which may reflect a biological contribution to obesity, and brings it to the forefront of the cultural conversation around weight bias, GLP-1 medications, and weight health.
The study uncovers critical consumer insights around food noise and brings it to the forefront. Food noise is defined as constant, intrusive thoughts about food that are disruptive to daily life. Although more than half of people living with obesity experience it, only 12% of people were familiar with the term before being surveyed. This is an important moment in driving real change in the understanding and treatment of obesity, and this study further underscores the need for a conversation around food noise to further propel the cultural conversation forward.
“The difference between food noise being problematic or not comes down to how often and how intensely it’s occurring. Food noise that occurs daily can be so intense and intrusive that it negatively impacts food choices and quality of life,” said Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, obesity and lipid specialist physician and medical director of WeightWatchers. “With constant, intrusive thoughts about food, it’s difficult to navigate behavioral change without clinical help. The first step towards relief and greater empathy for those living with obesity is acknowledging that food noise is a real biological issue that many are facing.”
Once the term food noise was explained to those surveyed as “constant, intrusive thoughts about food that are disruptive to daily life and make healthful behaviors extremely difficult,” 57% of people living with overweight or obesity say they’ve experienced it; still, only 12% had been familiar with the term. While food noise is universal and can be experienced by anyone, the intensity can vary from person to person. For many living with overweight or obesity, thoughts of food can become confounding, with 65% stating they fight the urge to eat even though they aren’t hungry.
Food noise can be a significant roadblock to weight health, with 61% of people living with overweight or obesity saying that food noise makes it difficult to stick to a nutrition or exercise plan. Yet, because of the depth of weight-related stigma, food noise is often ignored as a contributing factor to obesity. 83% of people living with overweight or obesity judge themselves for their weight. Additionally, 57% of those not living with overweight or obesity feel that those who are do not take care of themselves.
And with the rise of GLP-1 medications, weight stigma is persisting in new forms. One in four living with overweight or obesity report they avoid talking to friends, family, and doctors about weight loss medications for fear of judgment. 47% of those not living with overweight or obesity agree that GLP-1 users are just taking the easy way out. Additionally, 48% think that people using GLP-1s for weight management are taking them away from those who “really” need them, and 59% have more respect for those losing weight without medications.
“I think the most important takeaway is that what people are experiencing, but maybe didn’t know how to fully describe it or what to call it, can now be openly discussed in a way that others can relate to. Just using the term “food noise” has helped not only establish a name for what many people living with obesity are experiencing, but there is also now a better understanding of what they can do to help manage it with GLP-1 medications. The report further demonstrates the concept that obesity is not an issue of willpower. These drugs are not “an easy way out”, rather an effective treatment for obesity. The drugs work in such a way that they hit receptors in the brain that help dampen this food noise and also help with satiety and cravings overall. This report helps us to further understand the biology of obesity and how treatment has felt for those taking clinical interventions when it comes to the change experienced with quieted food noise in their daily lives. Now they are able to practice and adhere to healthful habits as their mindset has shifted from food thoughts. We also understand this is very different from hunger,” says Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, Medical Director of WeightWatchers, obesity and lipid specialist.
Understanding the concept of food noise can help change harmful perceptions of those living with overweight and obesity as well as those taking GLP-1 medications to manage their obesity. After learning about food noise, the notion that GLP-1s are a tool for managing a chronic condition (obesity) vs. an easy way out increased by 23% among those not living with overweight or obesity.
“This research sheds light on the profound impact of constant, intrusive thoughts about food and challenges our preconceived notions about willpower. Food noise is a nuanced aspect of the obesity experience that requires empathy, awareness, and a shift in societal perceptions. If we are to halt and eventually reverse the obesity epidemic, understanding the complexities of this disease and understanding the phenomenon of food noise and its role in the obesogenic environment is paramount,” says William Dietz, MD, Ph.D., Director, STOP Obesity Alliance.
Key data points from the report.
- Food noise is often ignored as a contributing factor to obesity –seen instead as a lack of willpower –and can be a significant roadblock to weight health.
- 57% of those not living with overweight or obesity feel that those who are do not take care of themselves.
- 61% of people living with overweight or obesity say that food noise makes it difficult to stick to a nutrition or exercise plan.
- Weight stigma continues to persist, taking on new forms with the recent rise of GLP-1 medications.
- One in four living with overweight or obesity report they avoid talking to friends, family, and doctors about weight loss medications for fear of judgment.
- 47% of those not living with overweight or obesity agree that GLP-1 users are just taking the easy way out.
- Those on GLP-1 medications have found the lack of all-consuming food-related thoughts allows them to accomplish their goals better, showcasing that the medications can cause a dramatic reduction in food noise.
- 76% of GLP-1 users find it easier to pick healthier food options, and 72% can now stick to their nutrition and exercise plans for weight loss.
- Understanding the concept of food noise can help change harmful perceptions of those living with overweight and obesity as well as those taking GLP-1 medications to manage their obesity.
- After learning about Food Noise, the notion that GLP-1s are a tool for managing a chronic condition vs. an easy way out increased by 23% among those not living with overweight or obesity.
Learn more at stop.publichealth.gwu.edu.