“Food noise”is suddenly everywhere. Though it may evoke the crunch of a potato chip or the sizzle of oil in a pan, the term describes intrusive thoughts about food that are distressing and disruptive. Oprah even talked about it on her television special about new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
Food noise isn’t a new concept or a clinical diagnosis, but it has gained attention alongside the rise of GLP-1 agonist weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. These drugs have been reported to offer a surprising side benefit of reducing or even eliminating food noise.
“Patients taking GLP-1 drugs will come back and tell us how the drug has quieted their mind when it used to be cluttered with thoughts about food,” says Robert Kushner, an obesity medicine specialist and professor in the department of medicine and medical education at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “That put the concept of food noise on the map for me.”
This phenomenon that doctors once described as “eating-related intrusive thoughts” or “food-related preoccupations” is now integral to the cultural conversation about food and eating.
The harmful effects of food noise
To be clear: Food noise has nothing to do with hunger or food insecurity, says Lawrence Cheskin, a professor of nutrition and food studies at George Mason University and an adjunct professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. It’s about being preoccupied with thoughts about food.
When it comes to the intensity and effects of food noise, there’s a continuum: For some, food noise is like nonstop chatter inside their heads about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat, and so on—and it can be distracting and distressing. They might find themselves thinking about their next meal while they’re eating their current one.
For those with intrusive food noise, “it might impact their sleep, or lead to guilt or shame around eating or anxious thoughts,” says Goldman. “It can get in the way of someone being able to function at their best.”
By contrast, those with mild food noise may barely notice it, as if it were simply a quiet buzz in the background.
Who’s susceptible to food noise and why
Anyone can experience food noise but people with obesity or overweight often struggle with food noise more than other people do, which can make it difficult to lose weight.
“If you’re having an excessive level of food noise, you’re more likely to do something about it and that’s to eat,” says Cheskin.
How weight-loss drugs like Ozempic quiet food noise
The fact that people taking a GLP-1 receptor agonist like Ozempic or Wegovy often report a drop in food noise is shedding light on the possible mechanisms behind it.
These drugs “are working on receptors in the brain and the gastrointestinal tract that are related to hunger and appetite,” Cheskin explains. “They are affecting some of the triggers of eating.”
In other words, “by disrupting these dopamine reward pathways in the brain, these drugs are disrupting these disordered thought processes about food,” says W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine in the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.
Other ways to quell food noise
People who aren’t taking GLP-1 or other weight-loss drugs can still take steps to ease food noise. As a starting point, experts recommend looking at your health habits, including your sleep, eating patterns, hydration, exercise, and stress management. “It’s harder to combat these intrusive thoughts when you’re tired or stressed,” Goldman says.
It can help to keep a log or journal to identify patterns and triggers for your food noise. Once you’ve identified triggers, Goldman says, “take steps to decrease them. If food noise is really loud when you go five hours without eating, go three to four hours instead.”
Meanwhile, make an effort to eat regularly and choose meals that are physically and psychologically satisfying. “When people give themselves permission to eat what they want, it can have an amazing effect on reducing food noise,” Albers says. “Restriction and feelings of deprivation contribute to food noise.”
Keep in mind, however, that food noise is a common affliction so don’t beat yourself up for it. Instead, exercise some self-compassion, Goldman suggests. “The way we talk to ourselves matters so be mindful about what you’re saying to yourself about food noise.”
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By Stacey Colino / National Geographic
