Why Is There Always Room for Dessert? New Research Explores Food Reward Mechanisms

Ever wondered why you still crave dessert even after eating a full meal? The answer may lie in how your brain separates the pleasure of eating from the desire to eat. A new scientific review suggests that food cravings are influenced by more than hunger, with brain reward mechanisms playing an important role in food choices and eating behaviour.

Published in Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, the narrative review examined how two distinct processes, known as food "liking" and "wanting", influence appetite, food preferences and weight management.

Researchers explained that liking refers to the pleasure associated with eating food, while wanting describes the motivation or desire to consume it.

Although both generally decrease after eating, they do not always change at the same rate.

For example, a study involving 70 young adults found that eating a savoury meal reduced liking and wanting for savoury foods. However, participants showed a relative increase in preference for sweet foods, even after becoming full.

Importantly, this did not necessarily mean they experienced stronger overall cravings for sweets. Instead, their preference shifted towards foods they had not eaten.

Researchers also found that food preferences may change throughout the day.

A study involving 44 young adults reported greater liking and relative wanting for high-fat foods during the late afternoon or evening compared with the morning.

The review also examined how exercise, weight-loss medications such as semaglutide and liraglutide, and bariatric surgery may influence food reward responses.

However, changes in food liking or wanting did not consistently translate into reduced food consumption or better long-term weight management.

The findings suggest that understanding the difference between enjoying food and wanting to eat could help researchers develop more effective approaches to appetite regulation and weight management.

However, further research is needed to establish whether modifying food reward responses produces lasting improvements in eating behaviour.

REFERENCE: Finlayson, G., Oustric, P., Beaulieu, K., Gibbons, C., Borisova, D., Dakin, C., & Blundell, J. (2026). Liking, wanting and the limits of satiety: Unravelling food reward mechanisms in human nutrition. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 1–10. DOI: 10.1017/S0029665126106168