The Impact of Gastric State on Perceptual and Attitudinal Body Image Dimensions and Their Moderation by Eating Pathology
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Background Body image encompasses cognitive-affective attitudes and explicit and implicit body size perceptions. Although interoception is implicated in eating pathology, evidence directly linking gastrointestinal states to body image remains limited by caloric confounds, a dearth of research using perceptual measures, and narrow assessments of interoceptive facets. Methods: To address these gaps, this study ( n = 68) manipulated gastric state using the Water Load Test-II to evaluate how gastrointestinal sensitivity, over/underconfidence in sensitivity, and appraisal are related to baseline body image and disordered eating, if gastric state can change body image, and if this is moderated by disordered eating. Results: At baseline, elevated hunger-fear and fullness-shame predicted heightened eating shame, dietary restriction/preoccupation, and reduced baseline body satisfaction, with fullness-shame uniquely predicting greater weight/shape concerns and restraint. Heightened gastrointestinal sensitivity predicted less certainty in judging an aperture as passable relative to body size, whereas underconfidence in gastrointestinal sensitivity predicted smaller waist size estimations and greater certainty in judging an aperture as passable relative to body size. Controlling for baseline body image, fullness significantly decreased body satisfaction, increased the width required for an aperture to be judged as passable relative to body size, and increased waist size estimations according to disordered eating severity. Eating disorder severity predicted lower certainty for an aperture as passable relative to body size. Conclusions: During nutritional eating disorder recovery, where postprandial fullness is unavoidable, unaddressed negative appraisal, hypervigilance, and over/underconfidence in gastric sensitivity may perpetuate body image distortions and uncertainty of body size. Eating to satiation, rather than complete fullness, may offer a behavioral goal for ongoing treatment once weight is stabilised.
Source: Research Square
Institution: University of York
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7212283085