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Encore Abstract

Category: Encore Abstract Poster Session 1

Encore Abstract Poster Session 1

(EA01-03-26) Food Noise, BMI, and Eating-Related Quality of Life: Validation of the RAID-FN and New Insights From a National Sample

Saturday, July 25, 2026
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM ET
Location: Poster Board B-33
Disclosure(s):
Martin Binks, PhD, MBA.: Aardvark Therapeutics: Stock Shareholder (excluding mutual funds) (Ongoing)
Eli Lilly and Co: Stock Shareholder (excluding mutual funds) (Ongoing)
Medline: Stock Shareholder (excluding mutual funds) (Ongoing)
Novo Nordisk: Stock Shareholder (excluding mutual funds) (Ongoing)
Viking Therapeutics: Stock Shareholder (excluding mutual funds) (Ongoing)
Kevin C. Maki, PhD: 89Bio: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing)
ACH Food Companies: Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Bragg Live Food Products: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing)
Campbell's: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing)
Cargill: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Eli Lilly and Company: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Esperion Therapeutics: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
General Mills Inc.: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Global Organization for EPA and DHA: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Greenyn Biotechnology: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Hass Avocado Board: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Helaina: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Hershey: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Indiana University Foundation: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Lonza: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing)
Matinas Biopharma: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
MDLifespan: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Medifast, Inc.: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
National Cattlemen's Beef Association/Beef Checkoff: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
National Dairy Council: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Naturmega: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
NewAmsterdam Pharma: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
NorthSea Therapeutics: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing)
Novo Nordisk: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing); Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Pepsico: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Pharmavite: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Ro: Grant/Research Support (Ongoing)
Seed, Inc.: Advisory Committee/Board Member (Ongoing); Consultant (Ongoing)
Name of the scientific conference where the work was recently presented: Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) 47th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions (2026)

Date on which the work was previously presented at the scientific conference listed above: April 24, 2026

Objectives: Food noise (FN)—persistent, unwanted thoughts about food—has emerged as a clinically relevant construct in obesity and metabolic health. We developed and validated the RAID-FN (Ro Allison Indiana Dhurandhar Food Noise) Inventory. Using the 7-item version, we conducted new analyses to examine the relationship of FN with body mass index (BMI) and eating-related quality of life (EDQLS).

Methods: Four nationally representative U.S. samples (N=281–352) were used to validate the RAID-FN Inventory. In a new analysis, we modeled FN as the outcome variable, predicted by BMI and BMI2 in a second-order (quadratic) polynomial regression, and assessed the relationship between FN and EDQLS Eating subscale scores using linear regression.

Results: For the relationship between BMI and FN, an ANOVA comparison confirmed that the quadratic model improved fit vs. the linear model (F(1,254) = 6.41, p = .012). In the model, the linear BMI term (β = 0.0001, p = 0.979) was not significant, while the quadratic BMI term (β = 0.0006, p = 0.012) was, indicating a U-shaped relationship between BMI and FN (F(2,254) = 4.87, R² = 0.04, p = .008). This suggests that individuals at both low and high BMI levels may experience elevated FN, potentially reflecting different psychological or physiological mechanisms (e.g., restrained or disordered eating at lower BMI; heightened food preoccupation at higher BMI). Additionally, FN was a strong negative predictor of EDQLS (β = −1.33, SE = 0.08, R²=0.52, p< .001), indicating that higher FN is associated with poorer eating-related well-being. Adjustment for additional covariates (sex and age) did not meaningfully change the results.

Conclusions: The RAID-FN Inventory is a valid tool for assessing food noise. Findings highlight a non-linear relationship between BMI and food noise and that food noise is a robust predictor of diminished eating-related quality of life. These results underscore the importance of addressing food noise in clinical populations with obesity, eating disorders and related conditions. Future research should explore causal mechanisms underlying food noise, including responsivity of food noise to treatment and its role in sustaining dietary changes and improving quality of life.

Funding Sources: Roman Health Ventures (Ro)