Abstract
Various conditioning factors influence the sensory response to a meal (inducible factors). We hypothesized that inherent characteristics of the eater (constitutive factors) also play a role. The aim of this proof-of-concept study was to determine the role of gender, as an individual constitutive factor, on the meal-related experience. Randomized parallel trial in 10 women and 10 men, comparing the sensations before, during, and after stepwise ingestion of a comfort meal up to full satiation. Comparisons were performed by repeated Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) measures. During stepwise ingestion, satisfaction initially increased up to a peak, and later decreased down to a nadir at the point of full satiation. Interestingly, the amount of food consumed at the well-being peak was lower, and induced significantly less fullness in women than in men. Hence, men required a larger meal load and stronger homeostatic sensations to achieve satisfaction. The same pattern was observed at the level of full satiation: men ate more and still experienced positive well-being, whereas in women, well-being scores dropped below pre-meal level. The effect of gender on the ingestion experience suggests that other constitutive factors of the eater may also influence responses to meals.
Highlights
Ingestion of a meal induces a biological response primarily related to the digestive process.If something goes wrong, for instance the stomach does not relax properly to accommodate the meal, patients may experience symptoms such as epigastric discomfort, a very frequent and relevant clinical problem [1,2]
This methodology—to measure gastric motor activity and sensitivity—has been applied for the evaluation of the normal response to meal ingestion, in part motivated by the growing interest in the processes of food production and consumption [3]
Meal ingestion is associated with a pleasant sensory experience, involving sensations related to homeostasis, e.g., satiety, fullness, with a hedonic dimension [3,4,5]
Summary
Ingestion of a meal induces a biological response primarily related to the digestive process. To investigate the potential mechanisms of meal-related symptoms, an armamentarium of techniques for the evaluation of gut function and perception was developed over the years [2] This methodology—to measure gastric motor activity and sensitivity—has been applied for the evaluation of the normal response to meal ingestion, in part motivated by the growing interest in the processes of food production and consumption [3]. A cognitive/sensory intervention increased post-prandial satisfaction, with lower intensity of homeostatic sensations [9] In this context, we hypothesized that the responses to a meal depend on inherent characteristics of the eater, i.e., constitutive factors. In this study the specific contribution of sex(biology) versus gender (roles) in response to meal ingestion was not investigated, and the term gender is used in a broad sense to encompass the differences between women and men
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