Hunger on the Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire Is Associated With Increased Ad Libitum Energy Intake in Different Conditions
Authors' conclusion
Increased susceptibility to hunger cues, particularly external cues, was associated with higher food intake during cold stress. These findings suggest that behavioral approaches, such as reducing responsivity to food cues, are important targets for weight loss interventions.
Study context
- Population
- Healthy participants; 30 males; age 36.9 ± 10.5 years; BMI 32.3 ± 8.7 kg/m²
- Participants
- 46 participants
- Comparison
- Food-related behavioural traits (Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)) vs ad libitum energy intake across fasting, cold and thermoneutral conditions
- Outcome
- Ad libitum intake after fasting and during and after cold exposure vs thermoneutral conditions, by TFEQ and PSS traits
- Follow-up
- Each over 24 h
Methodological detailsad libitum food intake paradigm, five 24-h conditions
- Ad libitum food intake paradigm
- Five 24-h conditions
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Ad libitum energy intake
- Total hunger score predicted intake across all five conditions (β, MJ/day; p = 0.02)
- 0.58
- Internal hunger subscale predicted intake (β, MJ/day; p = 0.02)
- 1.04
- External hunger subscale predicted intake (β, MJ/day; p = 0.01)
- 1.46
- External hunger score correlated with greater intake (partial r; p = 0.01), adjusted for sex, race, fat mass, fat-free mass
- 0.38
- Internal hunger score not correlated with intake (partial r; p = 0.16), adjusted for sex, race, fat mass, fat-free mass
- 0.22
Further findings
| Outcome | Mean (MJ/day) | P value |
|---|---|---|
| Energy intake, cold vs thermoneutral conditionHigher during cold; 404 kcal/day | 1.69 | P = 0.009 |
Original publication
Hunger on the Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire Is Associated With Increased Ad Libitum Energy Intake in Different Conditions. Obesity (Silver Spring). Published 18 February 2026. doi:10.
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