Nutritional psychology and its implication to obesity

Introduction. We often wonder why certain diets recom­men­ded for weight loss in patients with a high body mass in­dex fail or have short-term effects. Although there are nu­me­rous sources of information on weight management to­day, with an increasing openness towards natural, organic pro­ducts with specific characteristics (hypoglycemic, hy­po­ca­loric, hypocholesterolemia), paradoxically, there is a significant rise in obesity, particularly among young peo­ple. Objective. This study aims to highlight the im­pli­ca­tions of psychological support in the weight loss pro­cess and the involvement of a multidisciplinary team in achieving a healthy and optimal population from a weight management perspective. Materials and method. Bet­ween January and March 2025, at the Topmed Medical Cen­ter in Târgu-Mureș, psychological assessments were con­duc­ted for five patients, aged between 20 and 48 years old, can­di­dates for bariatric surgery. All of them were evaluated for de­pres­sion, anxiety, nutritional and dietary diseases, and emo­tio­nal balance. The results obtained were surprising, as although anxiety and depression were reported in their me­di­cal history, without visits to a psychiatrist or any psy­cho­lo­gi­cal intervention, preoperative psychological re­sults normalized depression and anxiety levels for all five stu­dy participants. Conclusions. Dependence on taste, the as­so­cia­tion of taste with pleasure centers, and the sense of well-being often lead us to overeat in order to sustain these elements. Repositioning in relation to these stimuli is the subject of nutritional psychology and psychological coun­se­ling, which, alongside nutrition specialists (doctors, dia­be­to­lo­gists, or nutritionists), plays an essential role in the suc­cess of lifestyle transformation.