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The objective of this study was to investigate the behavioral response to the long term realistic consumption of reduced fat products. During six months, a control group of 103 subjects had free access to about 45 commercially available full-fat products, and a reduced-fat group of 117 subjects had access to the reduced fat equivalents. These experimental products covered about 37% of total energy intake in the control group and 30% of energy intake in the reduced fat group. Other non-experimental food products were bought in regular shops. The results showed that, compared to a baseline measurement before the start of the study, energy intake increased from 10.4 MJ/day to 11.2 MJ/d in the control group, whereas it remained constant at 10.2 MJ/d in the reduced fat group. Fat intake in the control group increased from 99 g/d (35.6en%) to 123g/d (40.6en%), whereas fat intake in the reduced fat group decreased from 95 g/d (34.en%) to 90 g/d (32.7en%). The energy and fat intake from experimental products was lower in the reduced fat group (3.1 MJ/d, 37 g fat/d) than in the control group (4.2 MJ/d, 71 g fat/d). There was some compensatory response in the consumption of experimental products: the ingested amount of experimental products was about 10% higher in the reduced fat group (447 g/d) than in the control group (399 g/d)[t = 2.6; p < 0.01]. There was no compensatory response in the consumption of non-experimental products. Both the control and reduced fat group consumed about 7.1 MJ/d and 53 g fat/d from non-experimental products. It is concluded that long term consumption of reduced fat products leads to a lower energy and fat intake, compared to the consumption of full-fat products.

This study investigated the effect of the physical state and fat content of a preload on feelings of hunger and satiety and subsequent energy intake. Thirty-three normal-weight female subjects each received nine different 550-ml preloads which were served as breakfast. The preloads differed in physical state and fat level. There were three types of physical state (liquid, solid with locust bean gum, and solid with gelatin) combined with three energy levels (0.42, 1.67, and 3.35 MJ). The energy differences were due only to differences in fat content. Subjects were not allowed to eat or drink (except water) for 3.5 h after preload consumption. In this period they rated their feelings of appetite. Subjects recorded their voluntary food intake for the remainder of the study day and the day after the study day. There were no effects of the different amounts of fat or the three different physical states on energy intake during the remainder of the day or the day after. With respect to the appetite ratings, however, it appeared that the solid preloads were more satiating than the liquid preloads and the solid preloads were more satiating with fibre (locust bean gum) than without fibre (gelatin). The high-fat preloads were more satiating than the low-fat preloads.

The impact of variation in palatability on diet- and sucrose-induced thermogenesis was studied in two experiments with 24 healthy young normal-weight subjects, 12 men and 12 women. In the first study, subjects received at random in duplicate either a normal liquid test meal (2,000 kJ, 12% protein, 33% fat, 55% carbohydrate), or an iso-energetic test meal made highly unpalatable with kinin. The difference in palatability did not have a significant impact on postprandial metabolism. In the second study subjects received at random either a palatable sucrose solution (900 kJ), an iso-energetic standard sucrose solution, or an iso-energetic unpalatable sucrose solution. Kinin and a citrus flavour were used to vary palatability. Postprandial energy expenditure over a period of 150 min was not significantly affected by differences in palatability. A separate control experiment to assess the effect of kinin on energy expenditure was carried out in eight subjects. Kinin had no significant effect on energy expenditure over a period of 120 min after ingestion.