PD657 - NEUROBEHAVIORAL DRIVERS OF OBESITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL NUTRITION PRACTICE

PD657

NEUROBEHAVIORAL DRIVERS OF OBESITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL NUTRITION PRACTICE

A. Mardiah^1,*, N. A. Rahmah²

¹Department of Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Negeri Padang, ²Andalas University Hospital, Padang, Indonesia

Rationale: Obesity is increasingly recognized as a neurobehavioral condition, yet the specific eating behaviors associated with obesity and their underlying brain mechanisms remain insufficiently integrated, limiting targeted clinical nutrition strategies.

Methods: A structured narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Ten studies, including cross-sectional studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and one longitudinal cohort, were selected based on predefined criteria. Data on study design, populations, eating behavior phenotypes, psychological factors, and neurobiological findings were extracted and synthesized using a thematic approach.

Results: Emotional, external, uncontrolled, and disinhibited eating consistently showed strong associations with obesity. These behaviors were closely linked to psychological factors, particularly stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation. Neurobiological findings indicated increased reward responsiveness to food cues and reduced executive control, suggesting a shared pathway between altered brain function and maladaptive eating patterns.

Conclusion: Obesity is associated with maladaptive eating behaviors driven by interactions between psychological factors and brain function. Integrating neurobehavioral insights into clinical nutrition assessment and intervention may support more individualized and effective obesity management.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared