Subsequent Snack Research Articles

The effects of acute social ostracism on subsequent snacking behavior and future body mass index in children.

Ostracism may lead to increased food intake, yet it is unclear whether greater reactivity to ostracism contributes to higher body mass index (BMI). We investigated whether children who exhibited greater stress to social exclusion subsequently consume more energy and whether this predicts BMI 6- and 18-months later. Children (8.5 years-old) (N = 262, males = 50.4%; Chinese = 58.4%) completed a laboratory-based manipulation of social exclusion (the Cyberball task) prior to an ad-libitum snack. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured during the inclusion and exclusion conditions and proportionate changes were calculated as a physiological measure of exclusion-related stress. Social anxiety and social-emotional assets were also measured as moderators. Greater stress (as measured physiologically or by self-report) did not directly, or indirectly via energy intake, predict later BMI (at 9- and 10-years). However, among children reporting higher social anxiety, greater stress as measured by proportionate changes in HRV was associated with increased energy intake (B = 532.88, SE = 226.49, t(255) = 2.35, [CI95 = 86.85,978.92]). A significant moderated mediation was also observed (index: (b = 0.01, bootSE = 0.01, [CI95 = 0.001, 0.036]), such that among children reporting higher social anxiety, greater stress from social exclusion predicted increased energy intake from a subsequent snack, which in turn predicted higher BMI 1.5 years later. This prospective study suggests that a pattern of greater snack intake in response to heightened vulnerability to the effects of ostracism may contribute to increases in child BMI scores.

FRI003 Oxytocin Response To Feeding Predicts Reward-driven Calorie Consumption In Adults With Obesity

Abstract Disclosure: R. Boutin: None. M. Wronski: None. A. Aulinas Maso: None. M. Muhammed: None. F. Galbiati: None. L. Kerem: None. S. Carter: None. H. Nazarloo: None. J.M. Davis: None. K. Holman: None. J. Gydus: None. S. Smith: None. E. Asanza: None. F. Plessow: None. E.A. Lawson: Consulting Fee; Self; OXT Therapeutics. Stock Owner; Self; OXT Therapeutics. Objectives: Oxytocin (OXT) is a hypothalamic peptide hormone that reduces reward-related food intake and is under investigation as a potential weight loss therapy. Activation of OXT neurons in appetite pathways results in suppression of posterior pituitary release of OXT to the circulation, such that peripheral OXT levels (in response to feeding) may reflect the opposite of central OXT activity. While a relationship between peripheral OXT response to feeding and appetite has been reported in healthy females, there are no data related to OXT levels and appetite or eating behavior in individuals with obesity. We hypothesized that in individuals with obesity, higher OXT levels in response to feeding would be associated with greater reward-driven food intake assessed during a Cookie Taste Test. Methods: In a cross-sectional study of 53 adults with obesity (56% females; age [mean±SD] 33.7±6.2 years; BMI 36.9±4.9 kg/m2), participants presented after an overnight fast and were provided with a standard 400 kcal mixed meal. We sampled blood before and 30, 60 and 120 minutes after the meal for OXT levels and calculated area under the curve (AUC) as an integrated measure of OXT response to feeding. After receiving a subsequent snack, subjects ate as many cookies as needed to rate the cookies on various characteristics (i.e. sweetness, texture, delectability). We logarithmically transformed non-normal data to achieve a normalized distribution and used Pearson correlation to evaluate the relationship between OXT AUC and number of calories eaten during the Cookie Taste Test (behavioral marker of reward-related eating). Results: OXT AUC in response to a standardized meal predicted subsequent calories consumed at the Cookie Taste Test (R=0.30, p=0.036), such that those with higher OXT levels consumed more calories. Conclusions: Consistent with our hypothesis, peripheral OXT response to a standardized meal predicted subsequent reward-driven caloric intake in adults with obesity. These data suggest that endogenous OXT is involved in regulation of hedonic eating and supports targeting OXT pathways in the treatment of obesity. Presentation: Friday, June 16, 2023

Imagine this: Visualising a recent meal as bigger reduces subsequent snack intake

Remembering a recent meal reduces subsequent intake of palatable snacks (i.e. the meal-recall effect), however, little is known about the factors which can potentiate this effect. The present experiment investigated whether a stronger meal-recall effect would be observed if recent consumption would be recalled in greater detail, than if it was recalled briefly. Moreover, it was investigated whether imagining a meal as bigger and more satiating than in reality could potentiate the meal-recall effect, and lead to lower intake. It was also explored whether mental visualisation tasks of a recent meal would affect the remembered portion size. Participants (N = 151) ate lunch at the laboratory, and then returned 3 h later to perform the imagination tasks and to participate in a bogus taste test (during which intake was covertly measured). Participants in the two main imagination task groups recalled the lunch meal and then either recalled the consumption episode in great detail or imagined the meal was larger and more filling than in reality. The results showed that imagining a recent meal as larger significantly reduced the quantity of biscuits eaten. However, contrary to the hypotheses, recalling a consumption episode in detail did not decrease snack intake. It was also shown that imagining a recent meal as larger than in reality did not lead participants to overestimate the true size of the meal. In fact, portion size estimations were significantly underestimated in that group. There were no significant estimation differences in any of the other groups. The results of this study suggest that the meal-recall effect can be an effective strategy to reduce food intake and may be amenable to strategic manipulation to enhance efficacy, but seems prone to disruption.

Sensory specific satiety or appetite? Investigating effects of retronasally-introduced aroma and taste cues on subsequent real-life snack intake

Exposure to sensory cues has been shown to profoundly affect sensory-specific appetite and satiety in empirical settings. The present study aims to understand whether taste and aroma, presented in a real food matrix, can elicit sensory-specific effects on subsequent snack consumption in real life. A total of 61 male participants (final N = 40; 21–39 years; 19.7–41.5 kg·m−2) undertook five breakfast sessions. In each session, participants were served oat puddings of customised, pre-determined portions, which was either plain (used as the control), or with added low or high intensity of vanilla aroma or non-caloric sweetness. Participants were asked to report pre- and post-meal satiety and meal pleasantness using a Satiety Labelled Intensity Magnitude (SLIM) and a hedonic Visual Analogue scale (VAS), respectively. Participants then recorded all-day food intake using standard Food Records, which enabled estimates of individual total, sweet, and non-sweet snack intake. Our results showed that breakfasts with high-intensity aroma or taste led to more significant reductions in hedonic VAS post-breakfast, as opposed to the control or low-intensity conditions (p < 0.05). The total snack intake was maintained at a similar level across the conditions (p > 0.05). Compared to the control or low-intensity conditions, breakfasts with high-intensity vanilla aroma or sweet taste were associated with increased sensory-incongruent (i.e., non-sweet) and decreased sensory-congruent (i.e., sweet) snack intake (non-sweet intake: aroma (F(2, 108) = 59.65, p < 0.001), taste (F(2, 108) = 43.74, p < 0.001); sweet intake: aroma (F(2, 108) = 6.93, p = 0.001), taste (F(2, 108) = 13.94, p < 0.001)). Overall, this study is the first to compare sensory-specific effects of retronasally-introduced aroma and taste on snack intake throughout the day, highlighting the important functional roles of sensory exposures in orientating food choices.

Association of fasting Orexin-A levels with energy intake at breakfast and subsequent snack in Chilean adolescents

Orexin-A, a hormone secreted by orexin neurons, is involved in caloric-intake regulation. Current understanding is based primarily on animal studies. Studies of orexin in humans are scarce, and to our knowledge there are no prior studies in adolescents. We studied fasting Orexin-A levels related to energy intake at breakfast and a subsequent snack in adolescents (n = 668) from a longitudinal study in Chile. Body-Mass Index (BMI), components of the metabolic syndrome and fasting blood levels of leptin, insulin, ghrelin, and orexin-A were measured. Energy intake was calculated based on food weights before and after the standardized breakfast and subsequent snack. High energy intake was defined as ≥ 75th percentile. We assessed the relationship between orexin-A and high energy intake, adjusting for confounders. Higher orexin levels were associated with high breakfast energy intake (OR: 1.21; 95%CI: 0.98–1.49). Conversely, those with higher orexin levels showed a non-significant trend for lower odds of high energy intake for the snack (OR: 0.87; 95%CI: 0.70–1.07). There was a significant interaction between high breakfast energy intake and orexin levels. Those who ate more calories at breakfast displayed a lower inhibitory effect of orexin on eating at the snack (p < 0.05). There was no significant interaction between weight status and orexin. In conclusion, orexin-A levels were associated with breakfast energy intake and inversely related with subsequent snack energy intake in participants whose caloric intake at breakfast was within the normal range. Based on these findings, it appears that the association of orexin-A with energy intake depends on eating behavior.

Association of fasting orexin-A levels with energy intake at breakfast and subsequent snack in Chilean adolescents

Orexin-A, a hormone secreted by orexin neurons, is involved in caloric-intake regulation. Current understanding is based primarily on animal studies. Studies of orexin in humans are scarce, and to our knowledge there are no prior studies in adolescents. We studied fasting Orexin-A levels related to energy intake at breakfast and a subsequent snack in adolescents (n = 668) from a longitudinal study in Chile. Body-Mass Index (BMI), components of the metabolic syndrome and fasting blood levels of leptin, insulin, ghrelin, and orexin-A were measured. Energy intake was calculated based on food weights before and after the standardized breakfast and subsequent snack. High energy intake was defined as ≥ 75th percentile. We assessed the relationship between orexin-A and high energy intake, adjusting for confounders. Higher orexin levels were associated with high breakfast energy intake (OR: 1.21; 95%CI: 0.98–1.49). Conversely, those with higher orexin levels showed a non-significant trend for lower odds of high energy intake for the snack (OR: 0.87; 95%CI: 0.70–1.07). There was a significant interaction between high breakfast energy intake and orexin levels. Those who ate more calories at breakfast displayed a lower inhibitory effect of orexin on eating at the snack (p < 0.05). There was no significant interaction between weight status and orexin. In conclusion, orexin-A levels were associated with breakfast energy intake and inversely related with subsequent snack energy intake in participants whose caloric intake at breakfast was within the normal range. Based on these findings, it appears that the association of orexin-A with energy intake depends on eating behavior.

Does odour priming influence snack choice? – An eye-tracking study to understand food choice processes

Awareness of food sensory cues in our surroundings may influence our eating behaviour in different ways. For example, exposure to non-consciously perceived odours may influence food choice but not appetite. Moreover, this type of exposure may mainly influence the food choice of starters or desserts but not of main courses. This infers that odour priming may influence impulsive or rewarding food choice but may not overrule our habits concerning the choice of a main meal. It is crucial to understand the role of odour priming on eating behaviour and how people can be steered towards healthier options. Implicit measures, such as visual attention, may be central to understand the food choice process. Therefore, we aimed to determine how non-conscious exposure to odours affect congruent snack choice (i.e. with similar taste characteristics) and whether this is modulated by visual attention. A total of 53 healthy young adults took part in a cross-over study which consisted of two test sessions. In each test session, they were non-consciously exposed to an odour that is associated to a sweet or savoury food. Visual attention was investigated by means of a wearable eye-tracker and subsequent snack choice was (covertly) measured. Our results showed that congruent snacks were fixated on first. However, sweet snacks were fixated on more frequently, and for a longer period of time, and were chosen most often, irrespective of the type of odour exposure. Our findings indicate that odour priming might steer the initial orientation towards congruent foods, but other factors (e.g. cognitive) may overrule its effect on the final choice.

The effect of priming on food choice: A field and laboratory study

Priming involves the activation of a mental concept in memory which increases the likelihood that it will be assimilated into subsequent information processing. The present study investigates whether exposure to prime stimuli can increase the selection of unhealthy foods, which is an important topic as priming has been found to influence judgements, decisions, and behaviour outside of awareness. Study one was a between-subjects field study which examined the effect of brief exposure to food-related logos on subsequent snack choice. Study two took this further by examining food choice following exposure to unhealthy food-related logos in a laboratory setting. No main effect of priming was found by either the field study or the laboratory study; the participants in both studies made similar food choices regardless of condition. However, the results of study two showed a significant main effect of trait mindfulness on food choice, whereby participants higher in trait mindfulness selected fewer unhealthy foods. In conclusion, further research is required to determine whether exposure to unhealthy food-related logos can increase the selection of unhealthy foods. Although the potential for mindfulness to reduce the selection of unhealthy foods looks promising, this also requires further investigation through experimental research.

Ingested but not perceived: Response to satiety cues disrupted by perceptual load

Selective attention research has shown that when perceptual demand is high, unattended sensory information is filtered out at early stages of processing. We investigated for the first time whether the sensory and nutrient cues associated with becoming full (satiety) would be filtered out in a similar manner. One-hundred and twenty participants consumed either a low-satiety (75 kcal) or high-satiety (272 kcal plus thicker texture) beverage, delivered via an intra-oral infusion device while participants simultaneously completed a task which was either low or high in perceptual demand. Among participants who performed the low perceptual load task, ingestion of the high-satiety beverage increased rated satiety and reduced consumption at a subsequent snack test. However, both effects were eliminated by the high perceptual load task. Therefore, the processing of satiety cues was dependent on the availability of attention, identifying a novel perceptual load mechanism of inattentive eating and supporting more recent cognitive models of appetite control.

An Afternoon Hummus Snack Affects Diet Quality, Appetite, and Glycemic Control in Healthy Adults

ABSTRACTBackgroundSnacking continues to be a major component in the dietary patterns of most Americans despite conflicting evidence surrounding snacking healthfulness. Low-sugar, highly nutritive snacks, such as hummus, can lead to improvements in diet quality, appetite, and glycemic control.ObjectivesThe purpose of the study was to examine the effects of afternoon snacking on diet quality, appetite, and glycemic control in healthy adults.MethodsThirty-nine adults (age: 26 ± 1 y; BMI: 24.4 ± 0.5 kg/m2) randomly completed the following afternoon snack patterns for 6 d/pattern: hummus and pretzels [HUMMUS; 240 kcal; 6 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate (2 g sugar), 11 g fat]; granola bars [BARS; 240 kcal; 4 g protein, 38 g carbohydrate (16 g sugar), 9 g fat]; or no snacking (NO SNACK). On day 7 of each pattern, a standardized breakfast and lunch were provided. The respective snack was provided to participants 3 h after lunch, and appetite, satiety, and mood questionnaires were completed throughout the afternoon. At 3 h postsnack, a standardized dinner was consumed, and an evening snack cooler was provided to be consumed, ad libitum at home, throughout the evening. Lastly, 24 h continuous glucose monitoring was performed.ResultsHUMMUS reduced subsequent snacking on desserts by ∼20% compared with NO SNACK (P = 0.001) and BARS (P < 0.001). HUMMUS led to greater dietary compensation compared with BARS (122 ± 31% compared with 72 ± 32%, respectively; P < 0.05). HUMMUS reduced indices of appetite (i.e., hunger, desire to eat, and prospective food consumption) by ∼70% compared with NO SNACK (all P < 0.05), whereas BARS did not. Additionally, satiety was ∼30% greater following HUMMUS and BARS compared with NO SNACK (both P < 0.005) with no differences between snacks. Lastly, HUMMUS reduced afternoon blood glucose concentrations by ∼5% compared with BARS (P < 0.05).ConclusionsAcute consumption of a low-sugar, afternoon hummus snack improved diet quality and selected indices of appetite, satiety, and glycemic control in healthy adults. Long-term trials assessing the effects of hummus snacking on health outcomes are warranted.

A Health Game Targeting Children's Implicit Attitudes and Snack Choices.

Objective: The present study investigated whether a health game can be used to affect children's implicit attitudes toward food (IAsTF) and subsequent snack choices. Materials and Methods: The health game used was based on an evaluative conditioning paradigm. The experiment followed a between-subjects design with two conditions (health game vs. control), N = 79 (12.42 years ±1.64, body mass index: 25.06 ± 7.40). IAsTF were assessed at baseline and postintervention using an implicit association test (IAT). Baseline IAT scores were used to categorize IAsTF as healthy (favoring fruits) versus unhealthy IAsTF (favoring chocolates). In addition, three digital snack choices were recorded. Results: No main effect of condition on posttest IAsTF was found. However, baseline IAsTF moderated the effect of condition on posttest IAsTF; participants with less healthy baseline IAsTF playing the health game had healthier posttest IAsTF compared to those playing the control game. Regarding the snack choices, participants playing the health game favored fruit over chocolate in one of the snack choices. Baseline IAsTF did not moderate the effect of condition on snack choices. Conclusion: Tentative support was found that health games can be used to improve IAsTF, in particular among participants with less healthy ones at baseline.

Exploring the directionality in the relationship between descriptive and injunctive parental and peer norms and snacking behavior in a three-year-cross-lagged study

BackgroundPeople’s eating behavior is assumed to be influenced by what other people do (perceived descriptive norms) and what others approve of (perceived injunctive norms). It has been suggested that adolescents are more susceptible to peer norms than parental norms, because they experience a strong need for group acceptance that leads to conforming to peer group norms. The current study examined changes in snacking behavior and four types of social norms (i.e., parental and peer descriptive and injunctive norms) that promoted fruit and vegetable intake among adolescents. This study was the first to examine whether snacking behavior also influenced norm perceptions by testing the directionality of these associations.MethodsThe study consisted of 819 participants (M [SD] age = 11.19 [1.36]; 46.1% boys), collected at three time points (T1 = 2016, T2 = 2017 and T3 = 2018) during the MyMovez project. Self-reported frequency of snack consumption, perceived parental and peer descriptive and injunctive norms were assessed. The primary analysis consisted of a series of cross-lagged autoregressive models specified in a structural equation modeling framework.ResultsModel comparisons testing the descriptive and injunctive norms in separate models and in an additional combined model revealed evidence for bi-directional associations between norms and snacking behavior. Descriptive peer and parent norms were not found to have an effect on subsequent snacking behaviors. Perceived injunctive parental norms were positively associated with healthy snack food intake and negatively associated with unhealthy snack intake (forward direction). Injunctive peer norms were negatively associated with healthy snack food intake. In addition, higher unhealthy snack food intake was negatively associated with the perception of descriptive and injunctive parental norms 1 year later (reversed direction). We did not find peer norms to be more closely associated with changes in snacking behaviors compared to parental norms.ConclusionsParents expecting their children to snack healthy had a positive influence on healthy snacking behavior whereas only acting as a healthy role model did not. Future research should address the possible interaction between descriptive and injunctive norms. Research should also take into account the bi-directional relations between eating behaviors and normative perceptions.

How is Satiety Affected When Consuming Food While Working on A Computer?

More people working at offices are choosing to eat meals at their desks, making “desktop dining” an increasingly common phenomenon. Previous studies have reported that environmental distractors, such as television viewing, can influence meal intake and subsequent snack intake. However, the impact of stressful mental tasks on eating behavior has received relatively less attention, focusing only on subsequent meal intake or concurrent snack intake. This study sets out to determine whether eating while working influenced current meal energy intake. This research also examined the relationship between dietary restraint status and energy intake. A crossover experimental design was employed requiring participants (14 males and 29 females) to eat pizza quietly and at rest (control), and while working on a computer (work). Measurements included BMI, energy intake, state anxiety, restrained eating behavior, stress levels (pre- and post-eating), and appetite (before and after both work and control sessions). The findings showed that consuming food while working on a computer significantly increased stress but had no influence on energy intake compared to the control condition. However, post-eating hunger levels were significantly higher in the work condition compared to the control condition. As expected, satiety levels decreased significantly from pre- to post-eating for both work and control conditions. In addition, no significant relationship was observed between restrained eating behavior and energy intake in both work and control conditions. These results suggest that eating while working affected satiety of normal weight participants, as indicated by the significant difference in post-meal satiety levels between work and control conditions.

Acute Effects of an Afternoon Hummus-containing Snack on Appetite, Mood, and Food Intake in Healthy Adults (P08-009-19)

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to determine whether the consumption of afternoon snacks containing lower-sugar hummus/pretzels vs. higher-sugar granola bars improve appetite, mood, and eating behavior throughout the day compared to no afternoon snacking in healthy adults. MethodsThirty-two adults (age: 24.3 ± 0.9 y; BMI: 24.2 ± 0.6 kg/m2) randomly completed the following afternoon snack patterns for 6 days/pattern: consumption of hummus & pretzels (HUMMUS; 240 kcals; 6 g PRO/31 g CHO(2 g sugar)/11 g FAT); consumption of granola bars (BARS; 240 kcals; 4 g PRO/38 g CHO(16 g sugar)/9 g FAT); or no afternoon snacking (NO SNACK). On day 7 of each pattern, a standardized breakfast was provided at home and the participants arrived at the testing facility to consume a standardized lunch. The respective snack was provided to participants three hours after lunch. Appetite, mood, and satiety questionnaires were completed throughout the afternoon. Three hours after the snack, a standardized dinner was consumed, and an evening snack packout was provided, ad libitum at home, throughout the remainder of the day. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) was also completed from days 3–8 of each snack pattern. ResultsThe HUMMUS snack led to lower hunger, desire to eat, and prospective food consumption throughout the afternoon vs. NO SNACK (all, P < 0.01), whereas the BARS did not. When directly comparing the snacks, HUMMUS tended to elicit lower hunger (P = 0.06) and desire to eat (P = 0.09) vs. BARS (all, P < 0.100). Fullness was not different between patterns. The HUMMUS snack also led to smaller reductions in afternoon alertness vs. NO SNACK (P < 0.01) and vs. BARS (P = 0.05); no difference in alertness was detected when comparing BARS vs. NO SNACK. Afternoon snacking delayed subsequent eating initiation by + 80 min compared to NO SNACK (both, P < 0.05) with no differences between snacks. Although afternoon snacking on either HUMMUS or BARS reduced subsequent (evening) snack intake vs. NO SNACK (both, P < 0.01), daily energy intake was not different. CGM analyses are on-going. ConclusionsThe acute consumption of an afternoon snack, particularly containing lower-sugar hummus, improved select indices of appetite and mood but had minimal effects on daily food intake in healthy adults. Long-term trials assessing the effects of lower-sugar snacks on health outcomes are warranted. Funding SourcesSabra Dipping Company.

Preliminary Validation of the Exercise-Snacking Licensing Scale: Rewarding Exercise with Unhealthy Snack Foods and Drinks.

There is evidence that individuals’ compensatory health beliefs may be an important psychological driver of health behavior. Only recently, however, have researchers begun to develop and seek to validate instruments that are suited to measuring specific pairings of the diverse compensatory health beliefs that exist. The aim of this study was to provide support for key aspects of validity associated with the Exercise-Snacking Licensing Scale (ESLS), an instrument that was designed to assess individuals’ endorsement (or licensing) of unhealthy snacking behaviors around exercise. Participants (N = 1095) responded to a version of the ESLS that was designed to assess their licensing responses following either “light” or “tiring” physical activity, and completed additional instruments assessing dispositional, exercise-related, and diet-related constructs. Analyses indicated that scores derived from both versions of the ESLS (“light” and “tiring” physical activity) displayed a relatively consistent factor structure, favorable alpha coefficients, and meaningful correlations with variables that are theoretically aligned with licensing. Factor analytic procedures did, however, indicate that researchers may wish, in future, to consider the use (or not) of reverse-scored items within the ESLS. Together, these findings provide important insight into the structural, external, and generalizability aspects of validity for scores derived from the ESLS, and indicate that the ESLS may be a valuable instrument for the brief assessment of unhealthy licensing beliefs around exercise. Further use of the ESLS is encouraged to determine if and how these licensing beliefs actually influence subsequent snacking behaviors, and the potential downstream effects these beliefs may have in shaping health outcomes associated with exercise participation.

Pre-exposure to Tempting Food Reduces Subsequent Snack Consumption in Healthy-Weight but Not in Obese-Weight Individuals.

Obesity has become a severe worldwide problem. Compared to healthy-weight individuals, obese individuals seem to show an increased sensitivity to tempting food. In the present study, we test the pre-exposure effect, which implies that consumption of tempting food is decreased after exposure to tempting food cues in a context of a task that discourages food consumption. Healthy-weight and obese-weight participants were recruited via social media and university channels. Participants took part in a scrabble task with either candy letters or foam letters and subsequently engaged in a taste test. Results showed that in healthy-weight participants, consumption was reduced after solving the scrabble task with candy letters in comparison to foam letters. In obese-weight participants, consumption was reduced in the condition using foam letters (in comparison with healthy-weight participants). The pre-exposure effect was replicated in healthy-weight participants, but could not be observed in participants with obesity, since consumption was reduced in general in this group. Our results suggest that more work should be done to understand how food nudges work in the context of obesity.

Visual food cues decrease postprandial glucose concentrations in lean and obese men without affecting food intake and related endocrine parameters

The abundance of highly palatable food items in our environment represents a possible cause of overconsumption. Neuroimaging studies in humans have demonstrated that watching pictures of food increases activation in brain areas involved in homeostatic and hedonic food cue processing. Nevertheless, the impact of food cues on actual food intake and metabolic parameters has not been systematically investigated. We tested the hypothesis that watching high-calorie food cues increases food intake and modifies anticipatory blood parameters in lean and especially in obese men. In 20 normal-weight and 20 obese healthy fasted men, we assessed the effects of watching pictures of high-calorie food items versus neutral contents on food intake measured during a standardized test buffet and subsequent snacking as well as on glucose homeostasis and endocrine parameters. Compared to neutral pictures, viewing food pictures reduced postprandial blood glucose concentrations in lean (p = 0.016) and obese (p = 0.044) subjects, without any differences in insulin or C-peptide concentrations (all p > 0.4). Viewing food pictures did not affect total calorie intake during the buffet (all p > 0.5) and snack consumption (all p > 0.4). Concentrations of ghrelin, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, and glucagon also remained unaffected (all p > 0.08). These data indicate that preprandial processing of food cues curbs postprandial blood glucose excursions, without immediately affecting eating behavior in normal-weight and obese men. Findings indicate that exposure to food cues does not acutely trigger calorie overconsumption but rather improves the glucoregulatory response to food intake.

Does real time variability in inhibitory control drive snacking behavior? An intensive longitudinal study.

Laboratory eating studies and cross-sectional surveys indicate individuals with inefficient executive function (EF) consume more unhealthy snacks than others. However, the importance of EF in determining snacking behavior in the "real world" has not been established. Contemporary behavioral and self-control theories posit EF as a dynamic resource fluctuating over time. Consequently, a test of the relevance of EF to behavior within individuals is required. This study tested within- and between-person effects of real-time variability in objectively measured inhibitory control (a core facet of EF) on subsequent snacking behavior in daily life. A community sample of 64 adults recorded snacking behavior and completed a short Go/No-Go test (assessing inhibitory control) hourly over 7 consecutive days, yielding a total well-powered sample of 6,284 data-points. Generalized linear mixed models using lagged effects examined within-person and between-person effects of inhibitory control efficiency on snacking behavior. When Go/No-Go test responses were 100 ms slower than the person-mean (indicating periods of poorer inhibitory control), snack consumption in the following hour was 25.67% higher, Exp (γ) = 1.26, p = .002, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.06, 1.49]. Between-individuals, person-mean reaction time (RT) did not predict snack consumption, Exp (γ) = 1.02, p = .965, 95% CI [0.71, 1.46]. RT variability in inhibitory control efficiency is highly relevant to snacking behavior within individuals. Inhibitory control is an important driver of snacking in everyday life and an important target for interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record

Handling tempting food in a non-consummatory context reduces subsequent consumption of other tempting food: An extension beyond sweet snacks

The modern environment is characterized by an abundance of tempting food. One potential procedure to help consumers deal with food temptations is the pre-exposure procedure. It has been demonstrated that pre-exposing people to a tempting sweet product in a situation that subtly discourages consumption reduces their subsequent consumption of similar sweet temptations. This study investigated whether the pre-exposure effect could be observed with savory products as well, and whether the effect crossed from sweet to savory food and the other way around. The study exposed 144 participants to either salty sticks, chocolate sticks, or wooden sticks (control condition) in the context of geometric puzzles. Compliance with the task implied no consumption. Participants’ subsequent consumption of salty nuts or chocolate coated nuts was then measured in the context of a taste test that followed the initial puzzle task. The results revealed that pre-exposing participants to tasty sticks that they handled but did not consume, reduced their subsequent snack consumption compared to the control condition, irrespective of taste. This suggests that the pre-exposure effect generalizes to savory food products, and the consumption reduction effect crosses tastes. These findings are valuable for both researchers and practitioners interested in understanding and developing paradigms to reduce the consumption of high-caloric food.

Variation in the Oral Processing of Everyday Meals Is Associated with Fullness and Meal Size; A Potential Nudge to Reduce Energy Intake?

Laboratory studies have demonstrated that experimental manipulations of oral processing can have a marked effect on energy intake. Here, we explored whether variations in oral processing across a range of unmodified everyday meals could affect post-meal fullness and meal size. In Study 1, female participants (N = 12) attended the laboratory over 20 lunchtime sessions to consume a 400-kcal portion of a different commercially available pre-packaged meal. Prior to consumption, expected satiation was assessed. During each meal, oral processing was characterised using: (i) video-recordings of the mouth and (ii) real-time measures of plate weight. Hunger and fullness ratings were elicited pre- and post-consumption, and for a further three hours. Foods that were eaten slowly had higher expected satiation and delivered more satiation and satiety. Building on these findings, in Study 2 we selected two meals (identical energy density) from Study 1 that were equally liked but maximised differences in oral processing. On separate days, male and female participants (N = 24) consumed a 400-kcal portion of either the “fast” or “slow” meal followed by an ad libitum meal (either the same food or a dessert). When continuing with the same food, participants consumed less of the slow meal. Further, differences in food intake during the ad libitum meal were not compensated at a subsequent snacking opportunity an hour later. Together, these findings suggest that variations in oral processing across a range of unmodified everyday meals can affect fullness after consuming a fixed portion and can also impact meal size. Modifying food form to encourage increased oral processing (albeit to a lesser extent than in experimental manipulations) might represent a viable target for food manufacturers to help to nudge consumers to manage their weight.