Inflammation may push people with obesity toward easier, often less healthy food choices
· Medical Xpressedited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan
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Around half of people who are severely overweight have mild inflammation in their bodies. Research by neuroscientist Judith Scholing of the Donders Institute at Radboud University shows that this inflammation can cause people to opt for convenient food choices, which often means fast food. This makes it harder to lose weight. The work is published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.
In the Netherlands, around 15% of people are severely overweight, meaning they have a BMI of 30 or higher. "Obesity can have medical consequences," explains Scholing. "People with a high BMI are at greater risk of, among other things, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. So there are benefits to these people losing weight, but this research shows that it often isn't simply a matter of willpower and perseverance."
Many of these medical consequences are caused by inflammation in the body. "This inflammation often originates in the fatty tissue around the abdomen or is caused by certain foods rich in fast-acting sugars and saturated fats," explains the neuroscientist.
Cucumber and M&Ms
Scholing studied 150 female participants who were severely overweight, half of whom had inflammation in their bodies and half of whom did not.
While in the MRI scanner, the participants had to decide 125 times whether they were prepared to make a greater or smaller effort to obtain a particular food. "For example, they were shown a picture of a cucumber or M&Ms, along with information about how hard they would have to squeeze a small ball after the scan to receive that snack. That way, you can measure how much effort people are willing to put in to receive a particular reward."
Scholing observed that people with inflammation in their bodies were less likely to opt for the option requiring more effort than those without inflammation. "That means that if you have inflammation in your body, you're less willing to make an effort for food." This applied to both healthy and unhealthy food. "But in everyday life, unhealthy food generally requires less effort: It's easier to get fast food than to cook a healthy dinner yourself. The inflammation actively contributes to this reduced ability to exert effort."
Adding medication to the mix
This was also confirmed by the follow-up experiment: Some of the participants with inflammation were given anti-inflammatory medication, while others received a placebo. The participants then took the same test.
The neuroscientist observed that people who were given medication were more likely to choose the more difficult options and were therefore prepared to squeeze the ball harder. "This is a causal relationship. The inflammation causes people to want to exert less effort—and without that inflammation, they therefore put in more effort."
This means that for people who are severely overweight and suffering from inflammation, choosing healthy food is not simply a matter of willpower and perseverance. "People often think that losing weight is a choice and that those who fail to do so are lazy. We're showing that there are biological factors that actively work against you when it comes to making healthy choices, which usually require more effort.
"This leads to a vicious circle: Being overweight causes inflammation, and that inflammation in turn makes it harder to tackle excess weight, causing your weight to increase and leading to even more inflammation.
"Of course, this needs to be investigated further, but it could certainly be the case that these people might benefit from anti-inflammatory drugs in the future, alongside dietary changes. We're not there yet, so people should definitely not start experimenting with medication on their own."
Publication details
Judith M. Scholing et al, Low-grade inflammation in obesity causes low-effort food choice, Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (2027). DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2026.107011
Journal information: Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
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Weight managementEndocrinologyHealthy livingNutrition & Healthy eating Provided by Radboud University Who's behind this story?
Sadie Harley
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