Body Image 11 (2014) 167–170 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Body Image journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bodyimage Brief research report Does short-term fasting promote changes in state body image? Katherine Schaumberg ∗ , Drew A. Anderson 1 Department of Psychology, University at Albany – State University of New York, Albany, NY, United States article info Article history: Received 4 September 2013 Received in revised form 2 January 2014 Accepted 27 January 2014 Keywords: Body image Fasting Dietary restraint College students abstract Fasting, or going a significant amount of time without food, is a predictor of eating pathology in at-risk samples. The current study examined whether acute changes in body image occur after an episode of fas- ting in college students. Furthermore, it evaluated whether individual difference variables might inform the relationship between fasting and shifts in body image. Participants (N = 186) included male (44.7%) and female college students who completed the Body Image States Scale (BISS) and other eating-related measures before a 24-h fast. Participants completed the BISS again after fasting. While no overall changes in BISS scores emerged during the study, some individuals evidenced body image improvement. Baseline levels of disinhibition and self-reported fasting at least once per week uniquely predicted improvement in body image. Individual difference variables may play a role in how fasting could be reinforced by shifts in body image. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Dieting behaviors are common in Western culture. One way in which individuals may restrict their caloric intake is through skipping meals or fasting. One recent study found that over half of college students endorsed skipping meals in order to induce weight loss, and 23% endorsed fasting for weight loss (Kelly-Weeder, 2011). Fasting may enhance eating disorder risk for vulnerable individuals. For example, a study by Stice, Davis, Miller, and Marti (2008) found that the incidence of fasting in middle school girls was a stronger predictor of eating pathology onset than scores on dietary restraint scales. Biologically, acute dietary restraint depletes tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin, and subsequently increases the likelihood of binge eating to restore tryptophan levels (Kaye, Gendall, & Strober, 1998). Thus, fasting may physiologically promote pathological eat- ing patterns. Fasting can be distinguished from dietary restraint in that restraint refers to the cognitive effort to reduce caloric intake (Lowe, Whitlow, & Bellowar, 1991), which may or may not result in a negative energy balance. Fasting is the behavioral act of not eat- ing for a period of time, and individuals who report high levels of dietary restraint may engage in fasting as a caloric restriction strat- egy. However, a number of motivations may precipitate fasting, and ∗ Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, University at Albany, 1400 Washington Avenue, Social Sciences 399, Albany, NY 12222, United States. E-mail addresses: Katherine.schaumberg@gmail.com, kschaumberg1@gmail.com (K. Schaumberg), Drewa@albany.edu (D.A. Anderson). 1 Tel.: +1 518 442 4835. fasting is not always utilized for weight control. For instance, many religions include intermittent fasting as a spiritual practice. The transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral model of eating disor- ders posits that individuals engage in dieting as a result of shape and weight concerns (Fairburn, 2008). Thus, this model implies that individuals hold the expectation that dieting behaviors will reduce such concerns. To date, no studies have yet examined how body image might change in individuals after a short-term fast. Individ- uals who seek to lose weight by fasting may experience a feeling that one’s body shape has shifted over a relatively short period of time, and it is possible that immediate improvements in one’s body image after acute caloric restriction could reinforce problematic behaviors such as meal skipping and fasting. Body image appears to have state as well as trait properties, and fluctuates over relatively short periods of time (Cash, Fleming, Alindogan, Steadman, & Whitehead, 2002; Melnyk, Cash, & Janda, 2004). Many factors may induce changes in state body image, including social comparison and physiological changes that occur after eating (Espeset, Gulliksen, Nordbo, Skarderud, & Holte, 2012; Salk & Engeln-Maddox, 2012; van den Berg & Thompson, 2007). One study, for example, found that individuals with anorexia nervosa reported eating food as a trigger for body image changes (Espeset et al., 2012). Over time, individuals may pair eating with feelings of fullness and body dissatisfaction. In such instances, fasting could prevent negative self-evaluations that may occur after eating. Addi- tionally, individuals who report high levels of disinhibition may utilize fasting as a body image management strategy after experi- encing a period of overeating. Individual difference variables may also inform the relation- ship between fasting and change in body image. For instance, research suggests that individuals with eating disorders display a 1740-1445/$ – see front matter © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.01.005