Mild hunger elicits attentional desensitization to visual food cues in healthy, non-obese individuals

The findings indicate a novel influence of mild hunger on the processing of visual food cues, independent of physiological arousal. The decline in visual attention to food stimuli in fasted individuals suggests that satiety modulates visual processing. The lack of differences in attentional interference and physiological arousal between fasting and satiated states further supports the notion that visual attention to food cues is primarily driven by hunger-related mechanisms rather than stress. Additionally, the inverse relationship between salivary alpha-amylase levels and hunger ratings implies that alpha-amylase may serve as a marker of satiety rather than stress.