Snack Composition Research Articles

P007 Eating in alignment with the circadian clock: A strategy to reduce the metabolic impact of nightwork

Abstract Nightwork disrupts circadian rhythms and impairs glucose metabolism, increasing the risk for type 2 diabetes. We investigated eliminating or reducing the amount of food consumed during simulated nightwork as a countermeasure to reduce the impact of circadian disruption on glucose metabolism. N=52 healthy, non-shiftworking participants (24.4±4.9 years; 26 Females; BMI 23.8±2.5kg/m2) underwent a 7-day laboratory protocol with an 8h TIB baseline sleep, followed by 4 simulated nightshifts with 7h TIB daytime sleep and an 8h TIB recovery sleep in groups of 4 participants. Each group was randomly assigned to a meal-at-midnight (n=17, 30% energy requirements), snack-at-midnight (n=16, 10% energy requirements) or no-eating-at-midnight (n=19) condition. Total 24h energy and macronutrient intake were constant across conditions. Standard oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) were conducted on day2 (baseline), and day7 (recovery). Plasma was sampled at -15, 0, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 mins, assayed for glucose and insulin. Area under the curve (AUC) was the calculated. Mixed model analyses of glucose AUC found a condition-by-day interaction (p<0.001). Glucose responses to OGTT did not change with nightwork in the no-eating-at-midnight condition (p=0.219) but worsened in the meal-at-midnight (p<0.001) and snack-at-midnight (p=0.022) conditions. Insulin AUC was different by condition (p=0.047). Insulin was highest after nightwork in the no-eating-at-midnight compared to meal-at-midnight (p=0.014) but not snack-at-midnight (p=0.345). Glucose tolerance was impaired by eating-at-midnight, associated with a lower than expected insulin response. Further work is required to determine the effect of meal or snack composition as a strategy to mitigate adverse metabolic effects of nightwork.

Development of Novel Added-Value Products, Using Brewers Spent Grain as Ingredient

In recent years many studies have shown that brewers spent grain (BSG), the major by-product of the brewing industry, is no longer regarded as waste but rather as a rich source of bioactive compounds. With a hypothesis that this by-product could be efficiently valorized in developing new added-value food products this study evaluates the content of BSG in several bioactive compounds and assessed their influence on enhancing the nutritional quality of a basic snack composition. The substitution of wheat flour with 10%, 20% and 30% ground BSG led to development of three breadsticks formulations with increased nutritional value (protein, fiber, lipid and minerals) and enhanced antioxidant properties, in a dose dependent manner. Also, the sensorial analysis revealed that, compare with a control sample, the prototype with 10% and 20% BSG had good organoleptic attributes and overall acceptability. The obtained results emphasize the great opportunity to reuse this by-product in developing innovative added-value food products.

Snacking in nutrition and health

Many studies suggest that distributing energy and nutrient intake across 4–5 eating occasions/day (rather than across three standard meals) could favourably affect human health. The inclusion of 1–2 snacks in the daily pattern alleviates the potential digestive and metabolic overload caused by fewer heavier meals and might contribute to meet recommendations for food groups (e.g. fruits, dairy) and nutrients like fibre and vitamins. The snack composition should be evaluated taking into account the whole day’s diet. In early and late ages, and for specific population groups, snacking may need to follow particular characteristics in order to be optimal, both in terms of composition and timing. This document, which is the result of a collaboration of experts across several fields of research, intends to provide a review of the current scientific literature on meal frequency and health, highlighting the beneficial effects of correct snack consumption across the human lifespan.

Continuous access to snacks from weaning onwards in female rats causes weight gain, insulin insensitivity, and sustained leptin resistance in adulthood

A large part of the daily intake of children in the U.S. consists of snacks, with the average child consuming three snacks per day. Despite this, little research has been conducted to determine the metabolic and behavioral effects of snacking. Using a developing female rat model, our studies aimed to determine the effects of snacking during development before the protective effects of estrogen on weight gain would be relevant. Additionally, to determine if snack composition is important, we created one healthy and one unhealthy snacking group provided with chow and three snacks each in addition to a chow-only group. We found that both snacking groups experienced increased weight gain, elevated abdominal fat pad mass, prolonged leptin resistance into adulthood, and insulin insensitivity that was not observed in their non-snacking counterparts. These physiological differences were measured despite both snacking groups having a similar caloric intake as the chow-only group throughout the study. In addition to physiological changes, both snacking groups showed a preference for snacks over chow and ate more often during the inactive light phase than typical for rats, with the unhealthy snacking group presenting this behavioral change earlier than the healthy snacking group. Our results suggest that constant access to palatable snacks, which is often the case for children in western countries, alters feeding behaviors in relation to food choice and time of day when eating occurs. Snacking during development seemed to promote signs of metabolic syndrome in adulthood even when excess caloric intake was not observed. Our work further suggests that development is a vulnerable time for palatable snack presentation when prepubertal females lack the protective effects of estrogen and exhibit reduced leptin feedback on food intake. Thus snacking from weaning onward could be a contributor to the current childhood obesity crisis.

Preparation sequence of two snack components influences snack composition and calorie intake

Many contextual factors appear to influence both food intake as well as quality perception. A recent study showed the influence of pouring sequence in food preparation on food amount, ingredient ratio and calorie content. Two studies were conducted to further investigate the influence of pouring and preparation order on food intake. Using a within-subject design in study 1, participants were randomized to either pour yogurt or muesli first into a bowl before consuming the prepared snack. While the total amount of the snack did not differ between the two pouring order groups, participants poured significantly more yogurt and muesli when either snack component was poured first compared to when poured second. The second study used a real world setting asking participants to follow a certain preparation order when pouring their muesli and yogurt at home for one week. Again, whichever component was poured or spooned first was significantly more than when poured second. This effect remained over time. Depending on the caloric content of each snack component, the preparation sequence influenced total calorie consumption. It can be concluded that preparation sequence impacts total calorie intake even over time and has the potential to be used as a tool in weight management.

The contribution of snacks to dietary intake and their association with eating location among Norwegian adults - results from a cross-sectional dietary survey.

BackgroundSnack consumption has been reported to increase over recent decades. Little is known about possible associations between snack composition and snack eating location. In the present study, we aimed to describe the contribution of snacks to dietary intake in Norwegian adults and to investigate whether the composition of snacks differed according to where they were eaten.MethodsDietary data were collected in 2010 and 2011 using two telephone administered 24 h recalls about four weeks apart. In total, 1787 participants aged 18-70 years completed two recalls. The recorded eating locations were at home, other private household, work/school, restaurant/cafe/fast-food outlet and travel/meeting.ResultsSnacks contributed to 17% and 21% of the energy intake in men and women, respectively. Compared with main meals, snacks had a higher fiber density (g/MJ) and contained a higher percentage of energy from carbohydrates, added sugars and alcohol, while the percentages of energy from fat and protein were lower. The top five energy-contributing food groups from snacks were cakes, fruits, sugar/sweets, bread and alcoholic beverages. Snacks were mostly eaten at home (58% of all snacks) or at work/school (23% of all snacks). Snacks consumed at work/school contained less energy, had a higher percentage of energy from carbohydrates and had lower percentages of energy from added sugars, alcohol and fat than snacks consumed at home. Snacks consumed during visits to private households and at restaurants/cafe/fast-food outlets contained more energy, had a higher percentage of energy from fat and had a lower fiber density than snacks consumed at home.ConclusionsWe conclude that snacks are an important part of the diet and involve the consumption of both favorable and less favorable foods. Snacks eaten at home or at work/school were generally healthier than snacks consumed during visits to other private households or at restaurants/cafe/fast-food outlets. Nutritional educators should recommend healthy snack options and raise awareness of the association between eating location and snack composition.

Are bedtime nutritional strategies effective in preventing nocturnal hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes?

Hypoglycaemia remains the major limiting factor for adequate diabetes control for patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), especially during the night-time. Although nutritional strategies for nocturnal hypoglycaemia (NH) prevention are regularly suggested in clinical practice, there is no evidence-based recommendation for the usefulness and optimal composition of a bedtime snack. The aim of this narrative review was to analyse the current state of knowledge on nutritional strategies to prevent NH in individuals with T1D. A literature search was conducted, using PubMed and Medline (1946 to 2013); 16 studies were retrieved. Overall, the level of evidence was low. Results indicated that a calibrated bedtime snack based on bedtime blood glucose (BG) level could be effective to reduce NH occurrence for patients treated with human or animal insulin (short-acting combined with lente, ultralente and/or intermediate-acting insulin), but there is no evidence for patients treated with insulin analogues as part of multiple daily injections or insulin pump regimen. Some evidence suggests that including uncooked cornstarch or alanine in the bedtime snack composition could provide some benefits for the prevention of NH. Individualized recommendations of a bedtime snack intake for patients or situations at high risk for NH (long standing diabetes, hypoglycaemia unawareness, prior physical activity, alcohol consumption, bedtime BG close to hypoglycaemia threshold) appear as a prudent recommendation. On the basis of the available evidence, a bedtime snack cannot be recommended systematically but it might be useful if prescribed in an individualized fashion; further research is needed to evaluate these strategies.

Regular Consumption of a Balanced Salmon-Based Salty Snack Does Not Affect Energy Intake, Body Composition and Biochemical Parameters in Healthy Volunteers

An inverse relationship between meal frequency and body weight has been observed in several studies: however, little information is available on the effects of a snack consumption on energy and nutrient intakes in adults. In this study, 19 healthy volunteers consumed daily for 3 weeks, in a cross-over design, one of two isocaloric snacks (bread with salmon spread or bread with salami). Diet composition, anthropometrics, blood pressure, lipid and fatty acid profiles, fasting plasma glucose levels and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) were assessed at the beginning of the study and before and after each dietary period. The inclusion of a mid afternoon snack in the standard meal pattern (breakfast, lunch, dinner) was associated with a significant reduction in energy intake at dinner (the reduction being larger after the snack prepared with the salmon spread); the total daily caloric intake, however, was not changed by the snack consumption, since the snack caloric intake was fully compensated by the lower dinner energy intake. No significant change has been observed in any of the measured biochemical or anthropometric parameters, even if a trend toward a plasma hs-CRP reduction and toward a more favourable HUFA index was observed after the salmon spread snack consumption. These observations indicate that the regular consumption of a balanced mid afternoon snack has no adverse effects on energy intake and biochemical parameters of healthy adults with a moderately active lifestyle; the snack consumption results, however, in different distributions of the energy intake among meals. The snack composition (salmon or salami) may further influence these effects.

Dental Health, Acidogenic Meal, and Snack Patterns Among Low-Income Women During Early Pregnancy: A Pilot Study

The objectives of this study were to collect preliminary data related to self-reported dental problems, dental health-related nutrient intake, and acidogenic meal and snack composition intake during early pregnancy in low-income women and to assess the feasibility of current research methods for use in a larger study. Low-income women (n = 13) in the first trimester of pregnancy participated in this study. Pregnant women completed a demographic questionnaire, participated in three 24-hour dietary recalls, and answered several questions related to their oral health status and frequency of dental visits. Preliminary data suggest that women in this study were susceptible to dental problems and consumed acidogenic meals and snacks. Protocol data suggest that it is feasible to implement current research protocols, with adaptations, for use in a larger study. Health care professionals should assess low-income pregnant women in early pregnancy for dental problems and acidogenic meal and snack patterns and provide referrals to appropriate health professionals and community health services.

Diabetes research in children network:availability of protocol data sets.

The Diabetes Research in Children Network (DirecNet) was established in 2001 by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases through special congressional funding for type 1 diabetes research. The network consists of five clinical centers, a coordinating center, and a central laboratory. Since its inception, DirecNet has conducted nine protocols, resulting in 28 published manuscripts with an additional 2 under review and 5 in development. The protocols have involved evaluation of technology available for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, including home glucose meters (OneTouch Ultra, FreeStyle, and BD Logic), continuous glucose monitoring systems (GW2B, CGMS, FreeStyle Navigator, and Guardian RT), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) devices (DCA 2000 and A1cNow). In addition, the group has conducted several studies evaluating factors affecting hypoglycemia, including exercise and bedtime snack composition. The data sets that have resulted from these studies include data from the devices being evaluated, central laboratory glucose, HbA1c and hormone data, clinical center glucose and HbA1c data, accelerometer data, and pump data depending on the procedures involved with each protocol. These data sets are, or will be, available at no charge on the study group's public Web site. Several psychosocial questionnaires developed by DirecNet are also available.

Snacks consumed in a nonhungry state have poor satiating efficiency: influence of snack composition on substrate utilization and hunger

Several epidemiologic studies suggest that snacking may play an etiologic role in obesity. We assessed the behavioral and metabolic consequences of a high-carbohydrate (HC) or high-protein (HP) snack consumed 215 min after lunch, thereby investigating ways that snacking in a nonhungry state could be involved in the etiology of obesity. Eight lean young men attended 3 sessions (basal, HP snack, and HC snack) in a counterbalanced order with 2 wk between sessions. During all sessions, subjects were time-blinded while we measured the temporal pattern of plasma glucose, insulin, and fatty acid concentrations; hunger ratings; substrate oxidation; and energy expenditure from 215 min after the beginning of lunch until the spontaneous dinner request. Compared with the basal (no snack) session, the HP snack delayed the spontaneous dinner request (by 38 +/- 16 min, P < 0.05) but the HC snack did not. Energy and macronutrient intakes at dinner were unaffected by both snacks. After the HP snack, plasma fatty acid concentrations were lower (P < 0.05), but glucose and insulin were unchanged compared with the basal session. After the HC snack, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were higher and plasma fatty acid concentrations were lower than those in the basal session (P < 0.05 for both). Both snacks promoted carbohydrate utilization (P < 0.05), and the HC snack depressed fat oxidation (P < 0.05). This study showed that a snack consumed in a satiety state has poor satiating efficiency irrespective of its composition, which is evidence that snacking plays a role in obesity.

Prevention of nocturnal hypoglycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes: Impact of bedtime snack composition

Prevention of nocturnal hypoglycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes: Impact of bedtime snack composition

Effects of macronutrient content and energy density of snacks consumed in a satiety state on the onset of the next meal

We examined the effects of nutrient composition of a 1MJ afternoon snack, consumed in a satiety state, on the spontaneous onset of the next meal in 11 young male subjects deprived of any temporal cues. All subjects attended four experimental sessions scheduled 2 weeks apart. The first, baseline, session served to establish: (1) the subjects' ad libitum lunch intake, (2) the latency of the spontaneous request for dinner following lunch, (3) ad libitum food intake at dinner. Lunches provided during the next three sessions were based on baseline lunch intakes. During the following three sessions, conducted in counterbalanced order, subjects were given a high-fat (58% of energy from fat), a high-protein (77%) or a high-carbohydrate (84%) snack to be consumed 240min after the beginning of lunch. Latency to dinner and the amount of energy consumed at dinner were two dependent variables.Consumption of a high-protein snack delayed the request for dinner by 60min. In contrast, high-fat snack delayed dinner request by 25min, whereas high-carbohydrate snack delayed dinner request by 34min. Snack composition had no impact on energy or macronutrient intakes during dinner.

Altering the temporal distribution of energy intake with isoenergetically dense foods given as snacks does not affect total daily energy intake in normal-weight men

The objectives of the present study were to examine the effects of (1) ingesting mandatory snacks v. no snacks and (2) the composition of isoenergetically-dense snacks high in protein, fat or carbohydrate, on food intake and energy intake (EI) in eight men with ad libitum access to a diet of fixed composition. Subjects were each studied four times in a 9 d protocol per treatment. On days 1-2, subjects were given a medium-fat maintenance diet estimated at 1.6 x resting metabolic rate (RMR). On days 3-9, subjects consumed three mandatory isoenergetic, isoenergetically dense (380 kJ/100 g) snacks at fixed time intervals (11.30, 15.30 and 19.30 hours). Total snack intake comprised 30% of the subjects' estimated daily energy requirements. The treatments were high protein (HP), high carbohydrate (HC), high fat (HF) and no snack (NS). The order was randomized across subjects in a counterbalanced, Latin-square design. During the remainder of the day, subjects had ad libitum (meal size and frequency) access to a covertly manipulated medium-fat diet of fixed composition (fat:carbohydrate:protein, 40:47:13 by energy), energy density 550 kJ/100 g. All foods eaten were investigator-weighed before ingestion and left-overs were weighed after ingestion. Subjective hunger and satiety feelings were tracked hourly during waking hours using visual analogue scales. Ad libitum EI amounted to 13.9 MJ/d on the NS treatment compared with 11.7, 11.7 and 12.2 MJ/d on the HP, HC and HF diets respectively (F(3,21) 5.35; P = 0.007, SED 0.66). Total EI values were not significantly different at 14.6, 14.5, 15.0 and 14.2 MJ/d respectively. Snack composition did not differentially affect total daily food intake or EI. Average daily hunger was unaffected by the composition of the snacks. Only at 12.00 hours did subjects feel significantly more hungry during the NS condition, relative to the other dietary treatments (F(3,18) 4.42; P = 0.017). Body weight was unaffected by dietary treatment. In conclusion, snacking per se led to compensatory adjustments in feeding behaviour in lean men. Snack composition (with energy density controlled) did not affect the amount eaten of a diet of fixed composition. Results may differ in real life where subjects can alter both composition and amount of food they eat and energy density is not controlled.