How Digital Food Affects Our Analog Lives: The Impact of Food Photography on Healthy Eating Behavior

Investigating the role of top-down regulation and bottom-up cues in eating styles transitions: a one-year cohort study with young adults

Young adults often experience deterioration in eating habits during transition periods. However, longitudinal evidence on the changes of eating styles and associated determinants remains limited. This study aimed to explore the eating style transitions among young adults in their graduate transitions and investigate the influences of top-down regulatory factors and bottom-up environmental cues on their eating style transitions. This is a two-wave cohort study involving 594 Hong Kong young adults completing the baseline assessment during their post-secondary graduation year, of whom, 424 completed the one-year follow-up survey. Eating behaviours were measured at both points. Executive function (EF), coping style, exposure to digital food environments, responsiveness to food cues, perceived stress and demographics were also measured. Latent profile analysis was used to explore main eating styles among participants while multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess determinants of eating style transitions. In follow-up assessment, 5.9 % of participants were consistently approaching eaters (APE) across two time points, while 28.8 % have transitioned from moderate eaters (MOE) or APE to mixed eaters (MIE). The multinominal logistic regression model revealed that although EF and coping style were no longer significantly associated with participants' eating style transitions outcomes, greater exposure to digital food environments (OR = 2.60, p = 0.028) and higher responsiveness to food cues (OR = 5.86, p = 0.005) were associated with Persistent APE, while higher responsiveness to food cues (OR = 2.36, p = 0.009) and higher perceived stress (OR = 1.05, p = 0.046) were associated with Converted MIE. Bottom-up cues may dominate eating style transitions compared to top-down regulations. Future interventions should leverage environmental cues, thereby targeting the automatic decision-making process and supporting healthy eating habits during stressful life stages.

Down the Rabbit Hole: How Digital Media Shapes Public Perceptions of Food Science and Technology Research (And How We Can Safeguard Science Integrity and Credibility)

Professionals and practitioners in food science and technology navigate a minefield of challenges stemming from the convergence of science, scientific inquiry and research, and online mass and social media. Misinterpretations and politicized debates occur frequently in online media, where food- and diet-related topics have an avid following, and conflicting information or incomplete coverage may occasionally undermine public trust in the integrity of food science research from both academia and industry. Leveraging a broad landscape analysis of scientific and popular lay journal reports, we catalog a series of food science and technology topics that have been popularized in online forums, sometimes at the expense of scientific accuracy. Finally, we detail some guidelines and tools that may assist food science and technology academics, industry professionals, science publishers, and online journalists in rigorously safeguarding the integrity and credibility of research reports that reach the lay consumer through social and online media channels.

Navigating next-gen nutrition care using artificial intelligence-assisted dietary assessment tools-a scoping review of potential applications

Introduction

Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies have opened new avenues for their applications in dietary assessments. Conventional dietary assessment methods are time-consuming, labor-driven, and have high recall bias. AI-assisted tools can be user-friendly and provide accurate dietary data. Hence, this review aimed to explore the applications of AI-assisted dietary assessment tools in real-world settings that could potentially enhance Next-Gen nutrition care delivery.

Materials and methods

A total of 17,613 original, full-text articles using keywords such as "artificial intelligence OR food image analysis OR wearable devices AND dietary OR nutritional assessment," published in English between January 2014 and September 2024 were extracted from Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases. All studies exploring applications of AI-assisted dietary assessment tools with human participation were included; While methodological/developmental research and studies without human participants were excluded as this review specifically aimed to explore their applications in real-world scenarios for clinical purposes. In the final phase of screening, 66 articles were reviewed that matched our inclusion criteria and the review followed PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines.

Results

We observed that existing AI-assisted dietary assessment tools are integrated with mobile/web-based applications to provide a user-friendly interface. These tools can broadly be categorized as "Image-based" and "Motion sensor-based." Image-based tools allow food recognition, classification, food volume/weight, and nutrient estimation whereas, Motion sensor-based tools help capture eating occasions through wrist movement, eating sounds, jaw motion & swallowing. These functionalities capture the dietary data regarding the type of food or beverage consumed, calorie intake, portion sizes, frequency of eating, and shared eating occasions as real-time data making it more accurate as against conventional dietary assessment methods. Dietary assessment tools integrated with AI and ML could estimate real-time energy and macronutrient intake in patients with chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and dementia. Additionally, these tools are non-laborious, time-efficient, user-friendly, and provide fairly accurate data free from recall/reporting bias enabling clinicians to offer personalized nutrition.

Conclusion

Therefore, integrating AI-based dietary assessment tools will help improve the quality of nutrition care and navigate next-gen nutrition care practices. More studies are required further to evaluate the efficacy and accuracy of these tools.

Why am I obsessed with viewing mukbang ASMR? The roles of mediated voyeurism and intertemporal choice

This study investigates the determinants of the obsessive view of mukbang autonomous sensory meridian response (Mukbang ASMR) and examines the moderation role of intertemporal choice and the mediating effect of mediated voyeurism among university students in Malaysia. A quantitative survey was conducted with 408 university students in Malaysia who viewed mukbang channel(s) often on social media. PLS-SEM is adopted to examine the associated paths and effects. The results demonstrate the significant impact of alienation and novelty, vicarious satisfaction, companionship and loneliness on mukbang ASMR obsession. Mediated voyeurism intervenes the effects of alienation and novelty on mukbang ASMR and intertemporal choice positively moderates the relationship between companionship and loneliness and mukbang ASMR. This study constructs a model to estimate Mukbang ASMR obsession by identifying specific motives and relationships among key factors, highlighting loneliness as the most effective determinant of mukbang ASMR among Malaysian younger generation. Research results provide an extended understanding of the mukbang ASMR, offering valuable insights in the areas of lifestyle, social well-being, and social media consumption.

#WhatIEatInADay: The effects of viewing food diary TikTok videos on young adults' body image and intent to diet

The rise of short-form video content has prompted research into its impact on body image; however, little remains known regarding the effects of exposure to food-related content of this type. The present study aimed to fill this gap in the literature by conducting a between-subjects experiment (N = 316) examining the effects of exposure to low-calorie versus high-calorie "What I Eat in A Day" food diary TikTok videos on young adults' body appreciation, body dissatisfaction, and diet intentions. Additionally, this study sought to explore how social comparison and mood might affect participants' responses to these videos. Results indicate that social comparison mediated the relationship between video type (low- vs high- calorie) and positive mood, such that low-calorie videos increased upward social comparison and decreased positive mood, and high-calorie videos increased downward social comparison and increased positive mood. Positive direct effects of positive mood on body appreciation and diet intentions occurred, and a negative direct effect on body dissatisfaction was found. Additionally, positive mood mediated the path from social comparison to diet intentions. These findings highlight the importance of further research into the nuanced impacts of food diary social media content on young adults' body image and behaviors.

Association between watching eating broadcast "Mukbang and Cookbang" and body mass index status in South Korean adolescents stratified by gender

BACKGROUND

It has been suggested that Mukbang and Cookbang, a type of eating broadcast originating from Korea and gaining popularity, may contribute to obesity. However, despite suggestions that Mukbang might contribute to obesity, studies investigating the impact of watching Mukbang on obesity is lacking. The goal of this study is to analyze the relationship between watching Mukbang and Cookbang and body mass index (BMI) status in Korean adolescents. All analyses were stratified by gender.

METHODS

This study utilized data from the 2022 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Surveys. The anonymous online survey was conducted with 56,213 students, and 51,850 students (92.2%) who participated in the survey were analyzed. Participants reported the frequency of watching Mukbang and Cookbang per week over the previous 12 months. BMI was categorized into four subgroups based on percentiles: underweight (< 5th percentile), normal (5th - 85th percentiles), overweight (85th - 95th percentiles), and obese (> 95th percentile). This study used multinomial logistic regression for analysis.

RESULTS

The likelihood of being obese was significantly higher in Mukbang-watching boys compared to those who never watched Mukbang and Cookbang (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-1.32). A dose-dependent association was found between the frequency of Mukbang and Cookbang watching and the likelihood of obesity among boys (p-for-trend < 0.0001). Subgroups that currently smoke, currently drink alcohol, frequently consume fast food, or drink sweetened beverages showed significantly higher odds of being obese in the "Ever" group than those in the "Never" group.

CONCLUSION

This study found a relationship between watching Mukbang and Cookbang and obesity in boys. Appropriate interventions should be considered for boys watching Mukbang and Cookbang.

Imagined eating - An investigation of priming and sensory-specific satiety

While obesity remains a pressing issue, the wider population continues to be exposed to more digital food content than ever before. Much research has demonstrated the priming effect of visual food content, i.e., exposure to food cues increasing appetite and food intake. In contrast, some recent research points out that repeated imagined consumption can facilitate satiate and decrease food intake. Such findings have been suggested as potential remedies to excessive food cue exposure. However, the practically limitless variety of digital food content available today may undermine satiation attempts. The present work aims to replicate and extend prior findings by introducing a within-subjects baseline comparison, disentangling general and (sensory-) specific eating desires, as well as considering the moderating influence of visual and flavour stimulus variety. Three online studies (n = 1149 total) manipulated food colour and flavour variety and reproducibly revealed a non-linear dose-response pattern of imagined eating: 3 repetitions primed, while 30 repetitions satiated. Priming appeared to be specific to the taste of the exposed stimulus, and satiation, contrary to prior literature, appeared to be more general. Neither colour nor flavour variety reliably moderated any of the responses. Therefore, the results suggest that a more pronounced variety may be required to alter imagery-induced satiation.

Think Yourself Slim? Assessing the Satiation Efficacy of Imagined Eating

Ubiquitous exposure to visual food content has been implicated in the development of obesity with both individual and societal costs. The development and increasing adoption of Extended Reality (XR) experiences, which deliver an unprecedented immersion in digital content, would seem to carry the risk of further exacerbating the consequences of visual food exposure on real-world eating behavior. However, some studies have also identified potentially health-promoting effects of exposure to visual food stimuli. One example is repeated imagined consumption, which has been demonstrated to decrease subsequent food consumption. This work contains the first comparison between imagined eating and actual eating, to investigate how the simulated activity fares against its real counterpart in terms of inducing satiation. Three-hundred participants took part in an experiment at a local food festival. The participants were randomized between three experimental conditions: imagined eating, actual eating, and control. Each condition consisted of thirty trials. Before and after the experimental manipulation, the participants recorded their eating desires and enjoyment of a piece of chocolate candy. The resulting data showed generally no difference between the imagined eating and control conditions, which stands in conflict with the prior literature. In contrast, the differences between imagined and actual eating were significant. These results may be explained by differences in the experimental tasks' dose-response relationships, as well as environmental-contextual disturbances. Overall, the findings do not corroborate the efficacy of imagined eating within a real-life context.

Exploring the Linkages of Digital Food Communication and Analog Food Behavior: A Scoping Review

The linkages of digital food communication on social media platforms and analog food behavior of social media users are widely discussed in media and research, but less differentiated. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the research field, the scientific studies are characterized by great heterogeneity in approaching the role of communication and modelling of food behavior, and thus also the conclusions on how digital food communication might be linked to analog food behavior. There is still much uncertainty regarding the relationship and underlying assumptions between digital communication and analog action. The rationale of this scoping review is to systematically summarize the findings of this heterogeneous body of knowledge. The importance and originality of this review are that it focuses explicitly on studies that provide insights into the nexus of digital food communication and analog food behavior, be it in the theoretical foundation, the results, or their interpretation. It draws on a socio-ecological model of food behavior that depicts food behavior variables in different domains and uses a differentiated categorization of food behavior (food choice, dietary intake, and eating behavior) to synthesize the results. Using the Web of Science and PubMed databases, 267 abstracts were identified and screened, of which 20 articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected for full-text analysis. The review offers some important insights on how different variables of the socio-ecological model of food behavior are related to digital food communication and different areas of analog food behavior. This review provides a more discerning understanding of which aspects of analog food behavior may be linked to social media food communication and in which ways. Implications are derived to reflect the role of communication in previous models of food behavior by adding a more nuanced and cross-cutting understanding of food communication.