Obese People are More Responsive to Food Marketing, But it Changes After Weight Loss

Being obese or overweight is not just a cosmetic concern, it may have an adverse effect on your health. Obesity, which is defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation in the body, is the root cause of many diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers. Worldwide overweight and obesity rates among adults have increased dramatically in the past few decades, especially in developed countries.

Food marketing is partly blamed for this rising obesity rates. What makes people with obesity more susceptible to food marketing and how can one overcome this? Obese people do tend to be more responsive to food marketing — but when they lose their weight, their responsiveness to marketing drops too, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

A new study has provided stronger evidence to show that marketing messages — especially for foods that are high-calorie and low in nutrition — are at least partly responsible for the obesity epidemic. People with obesity were found to be more susceptible to food marketing than those who are not obese.