The Lunch Study: the Combined Effects of Food Texture and Energy Density on Intake
Condition: Satiation
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Meal size is strongly influenced by a number of external features of the food environment
      which can promote over-consumption, such as the availability of palatable energy dense foods.
      The current research aimed to investigate whether natural food-based differences in texture
      could be used to slow down eating rate and reduce intake from large portions and higher
      energy dense foods.

      A four-session randomised crossover study assessed the effect of faster vs. slower eating
      rate, achieved through manipulating food texture, on ad-libitum consumption (weight and
      calories) at a meal, alone and in combination with variations in meal energy-density (higher
      vs. lower)
    

Detailed description: 
      The current obesogenic environment is characterized by the abundance of palatable and high
      energy dense foods. High dietary energy density can promote sustained overcompensation at
      meal times. On the other hand, eating at a slower rate has been shown to reduce meal size,
      and food-based texture differences can slow eating rate. It is possible that texture-based
      differences in eating rate could be used to reduce energy intake in of foods that are higher
      in energy density.

      This study was conducted to quantify the effect of eating rate (fast vs. slow) on ad-libitum
      consumption of a meal, alone and in combination with variations in meal energy-density (0.57
      kcal/g vs 1.01 kcal/g). The meal combinations were as follows:

      Meal 1: thin/0.57 kcal; Meal 2: thin/1.01 kcal/g; Meal 3: thick/ 0.57 kcal/g; Meal 4: thick
      /1.01 kcal/g

      Participants consumed the four test meals over four non-consecutive test sessions at the
      Clinical Nutrition Research Centre, with at least three days washout between each session.
      Each part followed a completely randomised full crossover design.

      The primary objective was to assess ad libitum intake (both kcal and g) of the test meals,
      depending on the combination of food texture and energy density.

      The secondary objectives were to assess the eating rate, oral processing characteristics,
      changes in rated appetite up to 90 minutes post-consumption and energy intake (kcal) for the
      rest of the test day (food diary), as a function of the test meal texture and energy density
    

Intervention name(s): Thin/Low Energy; Thin/High Energy; Thick/Low Energy; Thick/High Energy
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Thin textured rice meal (ground rice grains) with lower energy density (0.57 kcal/g); Thin textured rice meal (ground rice grains) with higher energy density (1.01 kcal/g); Thicker textured rice meal (whole rice grains) with lower energy density (0.57 kcal/g); Thicker textured rice meal (whole rice grains) and high energy density (1.01 kcal/g)
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Basic Science
Keywords: Meal size