Nearly 1 in 5 people in the US think about food even when they are not hungry

by Aaron Wagner, Pennsylvania State University

edited by Swati Mestri, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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"Food noise" refers to intrusive thoughts about and cravings for food, whether or not a person is hungry. The phenomenon has become widely discussed on social media, in traditional media and in commercials for GLP-1 receptor agonist weight-loss medications. Because the term has only emerged in recent years, not much is known about who experiences food noise, and there is not even a universally accepted scientific definition.

In a new study, Penn State researchers sought to identify who experiences food noise and how widespread it is.

"Understanding food noise is the first step to managing it," said Daisuke Hayashi, a postdoctoral fellow in nutritional sciences and lead author of the study, explaining that identifying who experiences food noise may help researchers better understand and manage it.

In the study recently published in Obesity Science and Practice, the researchers found that 18% of people in the United States reported frequent or constant food noise and that women, younger adults, people of Asian descent and individuals who have used GLP-1 medications were all more likely to report frequent food noise than others in the study. Only 17% of study participants reported never experiencing food noise.

For the study, the researchers contributed a question to the 2026 Society of Behavioral Medicine Omnibus Survey, an online survey of 1,000 adults who were roughly demographically representative of the population of the United States. The survey was administered by a private company in May of this year.

Participants were asked, "How often do you experience 'Food Noise'?" They responded with a number between 1 (never experience food noise) and 5 (always experience it). The researchers compared people's responses to their demographic characteristics, health status and GLP-1 use.

Results indicated that several groups of people were more likely to report higher levels of food noise. Women were about 1.8 times more likely to report frequent food noise than men. People who identified their race as Asian were twice as likely to report frequent food noise as people of other races. Younger adults reported higher levels of food noise than their middle-aged and older peers.

People who reported losing control of their eating were almost six times more likely to report frequent or constant food noise than the average person in the survey. Finally, people who were on GLP-1s or who had previously been on GLP-1s were about 1.5 times more likely than the average person to report frequent food noise.

The results were a mixture of the expected and the surprising, the researchers said. The data did not include measures of why different people experience more or less food noise, so the researchers said each result should be considered individually.

For example, the researchers said they expected that women would experience more food noise than men, as other studies have shown that women are more likely to attempt to lose weight, which is related to thinking more about food.

On the other hand, the researchers cautioned against reading too much into the result about Asian participants experiencing more food noise.

"This is something for researchers to look at in the future," Hayashi said. "But there is no existing data or theory to support this result, and we wouldn't want to make generalizations based on one result, especially from a study with only about 50 Asian participants."

The result about people who use GLP-1s was unexpected, but the researchers said it made sense when they considered it.

"The term food noise actually emerged from discussions with people who used GLP-1s for weight loss and experienced a sudden reduction in food noise," said Travis Masterson, associate professor of nutritional sciences and co-author of the study.

"At first glance, it might seem surprising that GLP-1 users reported more food noise than other people, but this result could arise from an awareness issue. If GLP-1s reduce food noise, those who use GLP-1s might be hyperaware of any food noise they do experience and, therefore, more likely to report it."

Hayashi and Masterson said the study had implications for both clinicians and the general public.

"Medical doctors and other clinicians need to know a large proportion of their patients report dealing with this issue," said Masterson, who is also associate director for research at the Penn State Center of Immersive Experiences. "Hopefully, this information will inspire people to seek training on how to help their patients address food noise."

For people who experience food noise, the researchers said this study should provide evidence that they are not alone in their experiences.

"For years in popular culture, we have been sold the myth that people who carry unwanted body weight lack the willpower to control what they eat," Hayashi said.

"When one in five adults says they think about food most or all the time, whether they are hungry or not, is this really a question of willpower? Or are there other forces affecting people's mental and emotional experiences with food? The evidence points strongly to the latter. If you believe food noise is causing problems in your life, talk to your medical provider about what you can do."

More information

Daisuke Hayashi et al., Prevalence and Correlates of Perceived Food Noise Among U.S. Adults in a Nationally Representative Sample, Obesity Science & Practice (2026). DOI: 10.1002/osp4.70201

Clinical categories

Weight managementFamily medicinePsychology & Mental healthHealthy living Provided by Pennsylvania State University Who's behind this story?

Swati Mestri

Swati Mestri holds a bachelor's degree in Electronics Engineering and has worked as a content editor since 2019. She has experience editing research documents across technology, health care, and materials science, and has a particular interest in technology and space. Full profile →

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Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

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