Systematic reviewindependent cross-checkabstract checked★ key study I-FAST-119 standard review
Eating by hunger and fullness
Relationships between intuitive eating and health indicators: literature review.
Overview
Van Dyke N, Drinkwater EJ. Public Health Nutr 2014 · PMID 23962472 · DOI 10.1017/S1368980013002139
People who eat according to hunger and fullness tend to have lower BMI and better well-being; trials show weight maintenance.
Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: low
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Review intuitive eating and health.
- How was the study done?
Literature review of 26 studies.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
Mainly Western adults.
- What was actually found?
Lower BMI, better psychological health; weight maintenance in trials.
- How large was the observed effect?
Not pooled.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Listening to hunger and fullness is reasonable for many healthy adults.
- What are the study's limitations?
Mostly observational.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Supports the claim for healthy adults.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Applies; same physiology.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Effects in people with diabetes on glucose-lowering drugs.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Van Dyke N, Drinkwater EJ
- Journal
- Public Health Nutr
- Year
- 2014
- Identifier
- PMID 23962472 DOI 10.1017/S1368980013002139
- Verification
- verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-26; Crossref update-to/updated-by check
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
not stated in abstract
2. Research question
Is intuitive eating (eat when hungry, stop when full, no food restriction unless medical) related to health indicators?
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Systematic review – Literature review (26 studies: 17 cross-sectional, 9 clinical incl. 8 RCTs)
- Population
Adults (mostly women, Western countries)
- Country
Mainly USA/Australia
- Period
not stated in abstract
- Sample size
26 articles
- Inclusion and exclusion criteria
not stated in abstract
4. Methods and endpoints
- Exposure / intervention
Intuitive eating
- Comparator
Other approaches / lower intuitive eating scores
- Endpoints
BMI, psychological health, dietary intake, physical health markers
- Statistical methods
Narrative synthesis
5. Actual results
- Results
Cross-sectional: intuitive eating negatively associated with BMI and positively with psychological health. Clinical studies: weight maintenance but perhaps not weight loss, improved psychological health, possibly improved BP and cholesterol.
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Substantial and consistent associations between intuitive eating and lower BMI and better psychological health.
6. Strengths
- Defines the exact principles of the claim (eat when hungry, stop when full)
7. Weaknesses
- Mostly cross-sectional; no formal quality assessment; no meta-analysis
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- AMSTAR 2
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- high
- Rationale
Narrative literature review without risk-of-bias assessment.
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
Associations, not causal effects.
10. Relevance to the specific claim
The claim matches the definition of intuitive eating; evidence suggests weight maintenance and psychological benefit in healthy adults.
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Universal biology; applies in Europe and Egypt.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Low-certainty support for healthy adults; says nothing about people on insulin/sulfonylureas, children's growth or older adults.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | low |
| Risk of bias | high |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | direct |
| Reproducibility | partly replicated |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | consistent |
| Regional transferability | moderate |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
15. Linked fact checks
- Eat only when you are hungry and stop when full; no fixed meal times or quantities. – Studies supporting the claim