Differential impact of consuming foods perceived to be high or low in fat on subsequent food reward

Abstract

BackgroundThe perception that a food is ‘healthy’ or ‘low fat’ has been proposed as an important issue influencing eating behaviour. This study had two aims: a) to test the perceived health value of two popular foods in Brazil and, b) to investigate the impact of consuming these foods on subsequent food reward. Individual differences in adiposity and eating behaviour traits were also explored. MethodsTwenty-four adults (36.9 ± 9.8 years) were included (10 male, 14 female), mean Body Mass Index 27.6 ± 4.1 kg/m2 and mean weight 77.4 ± 14.8 kg. They attended the laboratory on two different occasions, for Perceived high-Fat [PHF] and perceived Low-Fat [PLF] conditions. Food reward was tested by the LFPQ-BR in fasted and fed states for each condition. Two popular food in Brazil were chosen to be used as test meals and were prepared in order to be similar in terms of weight, calorie content and macronutrient composition; it was hypothesised that Coxinha [shredded chicken meat, covered in dough] (PHF condition) would be perceived as less healthy and higher fat content than a chicken sandwich (PLF condition). A paper-based visual analogue scale was used to confirm this hypothesis. Anthropometric measures (weight, height, neck and waist circumference) and eating behaviour traits scores (uncontrolled eating, cognitive restraint and emotional eating – TFEQ-R21) were undertaken. ResultsResults showed that the two nutritionally matched foods differed on several indicators of perceived healthiness including perceived fat content. Post consumption, there was an increased implicit wanting for high-fat sweet food after the PLF meal. Exploratory analyses showed that cognitive restraint was an independent predictor for the perception of the fat content of PHF and moderated the impact of PHF on implicit wanting. ConclusionThese findings have implications for food marketing and the role of restrained eating on food perception and food reward.