IMPAIRED COGNITIVE-FUNCTIONING DURING SPONTANEOUS DIETING

In one of a continuing series of studies, the cognitive performance of normal weight female dieters was compared on two sessions, 3 weeks ap art. Those who reported themselves as being on a weight-reducing diet on only one of the two sessions displayed poorer vigilance performance , slower reaction times and poorer immediate recall of words when they were dieting. In contrast, performance on a low processing load tappi ng task was unaffected. Self-report measures showed that dietary restr aint, but not state anxiety or depression was increased during dieting . These results are interpreted in terms of an association between die ting behaviour and high levels of distractibility, and extend earlier findings by demonstrating that these deficits in cognitive performance are closely related to dieting or the perceived need to diet per se.