- Email: [email protected]
Sucrose detection threshold and fruit and vegetable consumption in children
Abstracts / Appetite 59 (2012) 618–638
625
The role of hedonic hunger in food-cue reactivity V.C.L. FELTON, E.L GIBSON. Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, United Kingdom. L.Gibson@ roehampton.ac.uk
Sucrose detection threshold and fruit and vegetable consumption in children A. FOGEL, J. BLISSETT. School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. [email protected]
It has been proposed that overweight individuals may be more sensitive to the food environment than others, eliciting appetite when not ‘homeostatically hungry’, termed ‘hedonic hunger’. Moreover, exposure to visual and olfactory food cues can promote increased desire for food. Therefore, the link between hedonic hunger, assessed using the Power of Food Scale (PFS) and food-cue reactivity was investigated based upon a well established paradigm, but using a within-subjects design. We hypothesised that participants prone to hedonic hunger would report relatively enhanced appetite following the food cue, which would be comparatively resistant to initial hunger state. Sixty-two female students, aged 18–55 years, took part in a within-subject experiment, attending in counterbalanced satiated and food-deprived states, 2–3 days apart. Reactivity measures including craving and desired portion size for pizza were reported pre- and post-pizza cue exposure, together with completion of the PFS to measure ‘hedonic hunger’. In both motivational states, all appetite reactivity ratings increased post-exposure, with greater overall appetite, but not reactivity, in the food deprived condition. High PFS scorers exhibited greater appetite but not reactivity, and no interaction was found between hedonic hunger and motivational states. Thus, PFS variance was not explained by any increased reactivity in the fed condition, deemed to constitute non-homeostatic hunger elicited by the food environment. Findings did not support claims that the PFS measures non-homeostatic appetitive reactivity to the food environment. Instead, the PFS predicted greater appetite for food, irrespective of current hunger state or food cues.
Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is linked to sensitivity to the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Detection of bitter and sweet compounds is guided by common physiological pathways. This study aimed to test whether phenotypic variations in sucrose detection threshold were related to FV consumption. It was predicted that sucrose detection threshold (SDT) would be negatively correlated with FV consumption, and that it would affect preference for FV with high/low carbohydrate content. Thirty eight 5–9 year old children (20 males, 18 females), recruited from local primary schools, were tested. First a triangle test was used to determine sucrose detection threshold. Next, rank order fruit test of 5 fruits that represent different carbohydrate groups was carried out. The results show no significant relationship between SDT and parental reports of portions of fruit and vegetables consumed during the previous 7 days. A liking index, representing preference for sweetness of fruit in the fruit rank test, was calculated. ANOVA showed a significant difference between children with low, medium and high SDT in their preference for different fruits (F(2, 35) = 3.254, p = 0.05). Post-hoc comparisons using Fisher LSD test revealed that children with low SDT prefer sweeter fruits compared to children with high SDT (p = 0.016). This suggests that children who can detect sucrose at low concentrations can better differentiate between different concentrations of carbohydrates in fruits and show natural preference for the sweeter products. Children with low detection threshold may not be able to differentiate between fruits based on their carbohydrate content and make fruit choice based on other factors.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.059 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.061 Evaluating predictors of BMI. Cross-sectional evidence from a Chicago-based cohort D. FERRIDAY1, C.G. FORDE2, JM BRUNSTROM1. 1Nutrition and Behaviour Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. 2Nestlé Research Centre, Consumer & Sensory Sciences, Lausanne, Switzerland. [email protected] Given the prevalence of obesity and overweight, identifying behavioural phenotypes that are associated with weight gain should be given a high priority. In a large and representative sample, we sought to explore the extent to which a range of psychological and demographic variables are associated with body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2). Participants (N = 283; all females) were recruited from the Chicago area and comprised 118 obese, 69 overweight, and 96 normal-weight individuals. Self-reported eating rate was assessed, together with impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness scale version 11 and delay discounting), monetary loss aversion, dietary restraint, and dietary disinhibition. Contrary to previous accounts, our behavioural and self-report measures of impulsivity failed to explain variance in BMI. In this regard, only three variables were significant predictors; dietary disinhibition, highest level of educational qualification, and annual household income. Respectively, these variables accounted for 2%, 1.8%, and 4.3% of the variance in BMI across our sample. Importantly, dietary restraint does not account for relationships between BMI and our demographic variables, suggesting that education and income does not protect against increases in BMI by promoting cognitive restraint. Together, these data indicate that individual personality differences are, in relative terms, poor predictors of BMI and that studies should consider underlying differences that are promoted by socioeconomic status. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.060
The effect of playing advergames promoting healthy or unhealthy foods on actual food intake among children F. FOLKVORD. Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [email protected] This experimental study investigates whether playing advergames promoting healthy or unhealthy food influences food intake among children. Three hundred children aged 8–10 played an advergame and afterwards free intake of healthy and unhealthy foods was measured. Children in the experimental conditions either played a healthy food, unhealthy food or a neutral version of a branded memory game for 5 min before eating. Afterwards, they completed questionnaire measures. Children in the control group ate before completing the questionnaire, without playing a game. Preliminary results show that playing an advergame containing (either healthy or unhealthy) food cues leads to higher caloric intake of unhealthy and healthy food. Children who played the healthier version of the advergame did not eat significantly more healthy food than did those who played the less healthy version. Children who played the unhealthy version of the advergame did not eat significantly more unhealthy food than did those who played the healthier version. These findings suggest that playing advergames promoting food, regardless of the food being healthy or unhealthy, might increase the (caloric) amount of food intake in children. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.062
625
The role of hedonic hunger in food-cue reactivity V.C.L. FELTON, E.L GIBSON. Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London SW15 4JD, United Kingdom. L.Gibson@ roehampton.ac.uk
Sucrose detection threshold and fruit and vegetable consumption in children A. FOGEL, J. BLISSETT. School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. [email protected]
It has been proposed that overweight individuals may be more sensitive to the food environment than others, eliciting appetite when not ‘homeostatically hungry’, termed ‘hedonic hunger’. Moreover, exposure to visual and olfactory food cues can promote increased desire for food. Therefore, the link between hedonic hunger, assessed using the Power of Food Scale (PFS) and food-cue reactivity was investigated based upon a well established paradigm, but using a within-subjects design. We hypothesised that participants prone to hedonic hunger would report relatively enhanced appetite following the food cue, which would be comparatively resistant to initial hunger state. Sixty-two female students, aged 18–55 years, took part in a within-subject experiment, attending in counterbalanced satiated and food-deprived states, 2–3 days apart. Reactivity measures including craving and desired portion size for pizza were reported pre- and post-pizza cue exposure, together with completion of the PFS to measure ‘hedonic hunger’. In both motivational states, all appetite reactivity ratings increased post-exposure, with greater overall appetite, but not reactivity, in the food deprived condition. High PFS scorers exhibited greater appetite but not reactivity, and no interaction was found between hedonic hunger and motivational states. Thus, PFS variance was not explained by any increased reactivity in the fed condition, deemed to constitute non-homeostatic hunger elicited by the food environment. Findings did not support claims that the PFS measures non-homeostatic appetitive reactivity to the food environment. Instead, the PFS predicted greater appetite for food, irrespective of current hunger state or food cues.
Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is linked to sensitivity to the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). Detection of bitter and sweet compounds is guided by common physiological pathways. This study aimed to test whether phenotypic variations in sucrose detection threshold were related to FV consumption. It was predicted that sucrose detection threshold (SDT) would be negatively correlated with FV consumption, and that it would affect preference for FV with high/low carbohydrate content. Thirty eight 5–9 year old children (20 males, 18 females), recruited from local primary schools, were tested. First a triangle test was used to determine sucrose detection threshold. Next, rank order fruit test of 5 fruits that represent different carbohydrate groups was carried out. The results show no significant relationship between SDT and parental reports of portions of fruit and vegetables consumed during the previous 7 days. A liking index, representing preference for sweetness of fruit in the fruit rank test, was calculated. ANOVA showed a significant difference between children with low, medium and high SDT in their preference for different fruits (F(2, 35) = 3.254, p = 0.05). Post-hoc comparisons using Fisher LSD test revealed that children with low SDT prefer sweeter fruits compared to children with high SDT (p = 0.016). This suggests that children who can detect sucrose at low concentrations can better differentiate between different concentrations of carbohydrates in fruits and show natural preference for the sweeter products. Children with low detection threshold may not be able to differentiate between fruits based on their carbohydrate content and make fruit choice based on other factors.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.059 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.061 Evaluating predictors of BMI. Cross-sectional evidence from a Chicago-based cohort D. FERRIDAY1, C.G. FORDE2, JM BRUNSTROM1. 1Nutrition and Behaviour Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom. 2Nestlé Research Centre, Consumer & Sensory Sciences, Lausanne, Switzerland. [email protected] Given the prevalence of obesity and overweight, identifying behavioural phenotypes that are associated with weight gain should be given a high priority. In a large and representative sample, we sought to explore the extent to which a range of psychological and demographic variables are associated with body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2). Participants (N = 283; all females) were recruited from the Chicago area and comprised 118 obese, 69 overweight, and 96 normal-weight individuals. Self-reported eating rate was assessed, together with impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness scale version 11 and delay discounting), monetary loss aversion, dietary restraint, and dietary disinhibition. Contrary to previous accounts, our behavioural and self-report measures of impulsivity failed to explain variance in BMI. In this regard, only three variables were significant predictors; dietary disinhibition, highest level of educational qualification, and annual household income. Respectively, these variables accounted for 2%, 1.8%, and 4.3% of the variance in BMI across our sample. Importantly, dietary restraint does not account for relationships between BMI and our demographic variables, suggesting that education and income does not protect against increases in BMI by promoting cognitive restraint. Together, these data indicate that individual personality differences are, in relative terms, poor predictors of BMI and that studies should consider underlying differences that are promoted by socioeconomic status. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.060
The effect of playing advergames promoting healthy or unhealthy foods on actual food intake among children F. FOLKVORD. Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. [email protected] This experimental study investigates whether playing advergames promoting healthy or unhealthy food influences food intake among children. Three hundred children aged 8–10 played an advergame and afterwards free intake of healthy and unhealthy foods was measured. Children in the experimental conditions either played a healthy food, unhealthy food or a neutral version of a branded memory game for 5 min before eating. Afterwards, they completed questionnaire measures. Children in the control group ate before completing the questionnaire, without playing a game. Preliminary results show that playing an advergame containing (either healthy or unhealthy) food cues leads to higher caloric intake of unhealthy and healthy food. Children who played the healthier version of the advergame did not eat significantly more healthy food than did those who played the less healthy version. Children who played the unhealthy version of the advergame did not eat significantly more unhealthy food than did those who played the healthier version. These findings suggest that playing advergames promoting food, regardless of the food being healthy or unhealthy, might increase the (caloric) amount of food intake in children. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2012.05.062