Acute response and neurophysiological mechanisms of mindfulness meditation in emotional eating.
Roy Rongyue Zeng, Rangchun Hou, Hiu Yin Lai, Hei Yuen Huang, Ka Siu Lau, Ka Yan Hung, Rachel Kwok, Nestor Vinas Guasch, Daniel Kwasi Ahorsu, Tiev Miller, Yushen Dai, Pablo Cruz-Gonzalez, Yan Li, Benson Wui-Man Lau, Jack Jiaqi Zhang, Dalinda Isabel Sanchez-Vidana
Journal of Eating Disorders March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-026-01591-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 49 |
| Population | Adults with and without emotional eating, based on the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire emotional eating subscale score |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Disordered eating behavior Electroencephalography Emotional regulation Mesh Neurophysiology |
| Key findings | Following three mindfulness practices, the emotional eating group exhibited higher frontal midline theta power and lower frontal midline alpha power compared with the non-emotional eating group, with effects primarily from the meditation phase. |
Abstract
Emotional eating often leads to adverse health outcomes. Understanding how mindfulness influences emotional eating is crucial for developing strategies to promote healthier eating behaviors and well-being. This study aims to investigate the mechanism and acute response to a mindfulness meditation practice on emotional eating by examining immediate post-intervention effects on brain activity and neurophysiological differences between individuals with and without emotional eating. Forty-nine adults were recruited and allocated into two groups based on the emotional eating subscale score of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire: emotional eating (EE group) and non-emotional eating (comparison group). EEG was captured from three 14-min audio-guided mindfulness practices (MPs; each comprising three consecutive phases: mindful breathing [MPbreathing], emotion evocation [MPevocation], and meditation [MPmeditation]) and 5-min resting periods before and after each mindfulness practice. We compared between-group and between-condition differences in the EEG band power and examined potential correlations between EEG data and other participant characteristics. Following three MPs, the EE group exhibited a higher frontal midline theta power (p = 0.051) and a lower frontal midline alpha power (p = 0.059) compared with the comparison group. These effects primarily originated from the MPmeditation (theta band: corrected ps ≤ 0.03; alpha band: corrected ps ≤ 0.08). Two negative correlations were specifically found in the EE group: one between changes in frontal midline delta power and emotional eating behaviors, and another between beta-1 power and cognitive reappraisal that emerged in the MPmeditation. Our findings suggest that the modulation of frontal midline theta and alpha activity may contribute to the immediate effects of mindfulness meditation in remediating emotional eating. The clinical significance of the correlation between delta activity and emotional eating severity warrants further investigation.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 10
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- EEG changes induced by meditative practices: State and trait effects in healthy subjects and in patients with epilepsy. Revue Neurologique April 1, 2024
- Effects of online mindfulness-based stress reduction training on depression and anxiety symptoms among psychiatric healthcare workers in a randomized controlled trial: the mediating role of emotional suppression. BMC Psychiatry June 4, 2025
- The EEG spectral properties of meditation and mind wandering differ between experienced meditators and novices Neuroimage October 1, 2021
- Mindfulness-based emotional eating awareness training: taking the emotional out of eating. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia Bulimia and Obesity March 11, 2019
and 5 more in the library