Discounting of Hyper-Palatable Foods is Associated with Eating Motives and Binge Eating Behavior

Background: High delay discounting (DD), or the tendency to prefer immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards, has been associated with health risk behaviors. This study examined the DD of hyper-palatable foods (HPFs) and money, and their associations with eating motives and binge eating behavior. Methods: An adult sample (N = 296) completed a DD task with single- and cross-commodity conditions with rewards of money and/or HPF (e.g., HPF now vs. HPF later; HPF now vs. money later). Regression models tested the association between DD, and eating motives and binge eating. Results: DD in the HPF now vs. money later condition was positively associated with the reward enhancement motive (β = 0.291; p = 0.008) and binge eating behavior (β = 0.041; p = 0.017). There were no other significant associations. Conclusions: Decisional impulsivity specific to HPFs (and not decisional impulsivity in general) may be associated with reward-motivated eating and binge eating behavior.