Socioeconomic Status Shapes How Our Bodies Regulate Eating Behavior

Recent research published in the journal Food Quality and Preference explores the complex relationship between socioeconomic factors and physiological signals that influence eating habits. The study involved 96 students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds who participated in a chocolate tasting experiment. Participants were presented with a plate containing 70 milk chocolate pieces and were free to sample and rate them. Researchers monitored heart rate variability (HRV), a measure linked to vagus nerve activity, which plays an essential role in regulating appetite and digestion.

Professor Mario Weick from Durham University explained that while the vagus nerve transmits vital signals between the gut and the brain, the strength and influence of these signals on eating behavior appear to vary with socioeconomic status. The findings suggest that individuals from higher socioeconomic backgrounds exhibit a stronger alignment between physiological signals, such as vagal tone, and their eating behavior. Conversely, those from lower socioeconomic groups displayed a weaker connection, indicating differences in internal regulatory processes.

This research shifts the focus from external factors like food accessibility to internal bodily mechanisms that govern eating. The data showed that higher socioeconomic individuals' chocolate intake varied in accordance with their vagal tone, which signals hunger and satiety. Meanwhile, this physiological regulation was less evident among participants from less advantaged backgrounds.

Co-author Professor Milica Vasiljevic emphasized that the study does not imply lower socioeconomic individuals are more impulsive or eat more by default. Instead, it highlights that the internal regulation system—how our bodies signal when to eat or stop—may function differently depending on socioeconomic context, potentially impacting health disparities.

Although the study used chocolate consumption as a model for dietary behavior, these findings could have broader implications, extending to various foods and eating patterns. Future research aims to verify if similar patterns occur across other populations and dietary categories. Recognizing the influence of internal physiological signals offers a new perspective for public health initiatives aimed at reducing dietary inequalities and improving overall health outcomes.

The study was led by Durham University and funded by its Department of Psychology. It underscores the importance of internal bodily signals in understanding eating behavior and health inequalities, opening new avenues for targeted interventions and policymaking.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-reveals-socioeconomic-body.html