Around half of the top 100 TikTok videos about “food noise” mention using medications—mostly the anti-obesity drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists—to quiet constant thoughts about food, according to a new analysis being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Málaga, Spain (11–14 May).
“TikTok can be an incredible tool for raising awareness, but it also has a downside,” said lead author Daisuke Hayashi of Pennsylvania State University. He explains that while many creators share how medications have helped them control intrusive food thoughts and adopt healthier habits, younger viewers may not recognize the difference between food noise and normal hunger. That misunderstanding could hurt their relationship with food and lead them to believe they need medication to curb everyday cravings.
“On one hand, content creators seem to have found a community in TikTok where they can share their lived experiences about food noise, and how new medications have helped them change their health behaviours and fight intrusive thoughts about food. On the other hand, younger audiences, who make the most of TikTok’s viewership, may not understand the distinction between food noise and normal hunger and appetite. This could negatively affect their relationship with food and make them believe that they need a medication to silence normal food cravings.”
Food noise describes persistent, intrusive thoughts about eating and has only recently entered the public conversation. Hayashi and colleagues have defined it as “heightened and/or persistent manifestations of food cue reactivity, often leading to food-related intrusive thoughts and maladaptive eating behaviours.” Interest in the term surged in 2023 and peaked in April 2025—right around the time drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) became widely discussed.
TikTok now hosts over 3,600 videos under #FoodNoise, viewed mostly by children, teens, and young adults. To understand what people are seeing, the researchers reviewed the 100 most popular #FoodNoise posts (removing one duplicate) as of June 24, 2024. On average, each had more than a million views, 8,100 likes, and hundreds of comments and shares.
Key findings:
83% of videos offered a clear definition of food noise, and 94% of those matched the academic definition.
Creators were predominantly women (92%), aged 30 or older (82%), and White (86%).
One in five identified as healthcare professionals, and 71% featured personal testimonies.
86% described food noise as harmful to quality of life.
50% mentioned medications—92% of them GLP-1RAs like semaglutide and tirzepatide.
Only 5% disclosed sponsored content.
“Undisclosed sponsorship is believed to be abundant on TikTok. Some content may be posted by creators promoting products and treatments without proper disclosure, and people watching these videos may not even know they are being advertised to,” Hayashi warns.
He adds, “Future research is needed to explore lived experiences around food noise beyond online platforms to understand more about this phenomenon, how to manage it, and how it might impact eating behaviours, health, and quality of life.”