Carbohydrate Craving: Behavioral and Psychobiological Features

The overall aim of this NIH-funded study is to investigate food cravings that might cause overeating and weight gain in women.  We are trying to determine whether women who crave certain foods experience effects on their mood and their thinking when they eat those foods, and, if so, what biological mechanisms might give rise to those effects.   We are comparing three groups of women:  “carbohydrate cravers ” who snack on carbohydrates (nutrients found in breads, cereals, and sweets), “mixed snackers” who snack on both carbohydrate and protein (a nutrient found in dairy products, meat and nuts), and “non-snackers” who rarely eat in between meals.  The aim is to test whether certain women experience positive changes in their mood, thought processes and biochemistry after eating carbohydrate, and whether these positive experiences lead those women to choose to eat foods that contain mostly carbohydrate, in preference to foods that contain more protein, even if the foods look and taste alike.  We are currently in the process of data collection and will continue through 2003.  

Interested in participating in this study?  Click here if you think you might be a mixed snacker, and here if you think you are a non-snacker.

For more information, or to find out if you are eligible, please call Health Promotion and Research at (312) 355-2153 or e-mail the study coordinator.