Overeating stems from various causes. For some, it’s triggered by tempting sights or smells of food, while for others, emotions drive the behavior.
Those who overeat because of external stimuli tend to respond well to GLP-1s, according to a study published in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare. Those who restrain their eating for weight loss also tend to respond well to medication.
However, the study noted that those who overeat in response to emotions didn’t have as much success with GLP-1s, underscoring the complicated nature of emotions and food.
Understanding Weight Loss
The Japanese study tracked the progress of 92 people with diabetes who started taking GLP-1s over the course of a year, aiming to identify why weight loss isn’t always achieved with the medication.
Researchers wanted to know whether those whose feelings were entangled with food would get positive results from drugs. Both external and emotional eating habits can drive people to eat more, but only emotional eating was associated with negative feelings.
In the study, those motivated by external eating habits experienced greater, sustained weight loss and improved blood sugar levels (reduced HbA1c). Those who said they overate based on emotions had significantly reduced eating in the first three months of treatment, but returned to baseline after a year.
One reason for the findings could be that GLP-1s don’t address the psychological factors involved in emotional eating, co-author Dr. Takehiro Kato of Gifu University said in a statement.
“Individuals with prominent emotional eating tendencies may require additional behavioral or psychological support,” he said.
Emotions Play a Role in Addiction
Addiction may also help explain the findings, according to Joan Ifland, who holds a doctorate in addiction nutrition and uses support group therapy to help untangle emotions from food.
She said emotions can also be the result of eating certain foods, particularly ultra-processed foods made with a combination of sugar, salt, and fat that trigger the so-called bliss point—a dopamine response that promotes a desire for more food.
Ifland noted that processed foods create negative feelings and are linked to depression, anxiety, stress, and anger.
“For people who are overeating because of the addiction, it would be expected that a GLP-1 would not help,” Ifland, founder of a private food addiction group called the Addiction Reset Community, told The Epoch Times.
Often the underlying emotional reason for food addiction is rooted in unresolved childhood trauma and learned behavior that food—much like other addictive substances—can soothe pain, she said. That can then create a negative loop with the addictive nature of some foods.
It should be noted that the concept of food addiction is controversial in the medical community.
Breaking From Previous Research
The Japanese study wasn’t perfect.
Several factors could have influenced the results, including lifestyle choices, psychological conditions, or socioeconomic status. Furthermore, the study was observational, so the researchers could only associate eating patterns and drug response—with no cause determined. Moreover, the participants were being treated for Type 2 diabetes and not weight loss, which could limit the generalizability of results to others without the disease.
It is also worth noting that the study’s results differed from those of previous research. A 2024 study offered contradictory findings. In a similar style, U.S. researchers followed 101 patients before and after starting GLP-1s to understand eating behaviors. Among the findings, participants reported a significant reduction in how often they ate in response to emotional cues.
Addressing Cravings
GLP-1 drugs, which appear able to suppress craving pathways, can be part of a weight-loss solution, though they are not the ultimate solution, Ifland said.
Learning new skills related to addiction recovery can raise the likelihood of long-term weight loss success and enable people to cease reliance on drugs to maintain their weight, she added. Some skills include:
- Make and take your own healthy food when you leave the house and go to events.
- Research restaurants before dining out to make sure they have healthy food options.
- Avoid people who tempt you to eat according to cravings—not health.
- Learn about the tactics of the food industry. For instance, additives increase the bliss point of food.
Several psychological interventions can also be beneficial. A meta-analysis published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that food and mood journaling, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness were among the useful tools. Cognitive behavioral therapy was associated with the most weight loss, which also helped with emotional eating.
“Don’t think you can get off these weight-loss drugs and be OK,” Ifland said. “All the reasons you struggle with cravings will still be there and assault you. Medication shouldn’t be a permanent solution.”