SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE INDEXES OF THE SATIATING EFFECT OF FOODS - CAN PEOPLE PREDICT HOW FILLING A FOOD WILL BE

Objective: These two studies compared the subjective assessment of how filling a snack type would be, with actual consumption of that type o f snack at a snack meal. Design: Four snack types: savoury high-fat, s avoury high-carbohydrate, sweet high-fat, sweet high-carbohydrate, eac h comprising of five food items, were used. Study 1 consisted of tasti ng followed by perceptual evaluations. Study 2 was a consumption test with a within-subjects design, each subject received each of the snack types in a counterbalanced order. A no snack condition was also inclu ded. Setting: The studies were carried out in the Human Appetite and N utrition Research Unit. Subjects: Twenty-four lean male and female ind ividuals took part in Study 1. Sixteen lean young male University stud ents took part in Study 2. Interventions: In Study 1 subjects tasted 1 0 of the 20 food items comprising the snack types, and rated the salti ness, sweetness, fillingness and pleasantness of these on 100 mm visua l analogue rating scales (VAS). In Study 2, a fixed breakfast and lunc h were consumed, subjects were then offered an ad libitum selection of one of the 4 snack types. VAS to record subjective feelings of hunger and fullness were completed periodically. Results: The results of Stu dy 1 showed the sweet high-fat snack type was rated more filling, but similar in pleasantness, than the other snack types. Study 2 showed th e sweet high-fat snack type resulted in a higher energy intake than th e other snack types. Conclusions: The subjective assessment of snacks suggested sweet high-fat snacks could be filling, however when consume d these snacks resulted in a higher energy intake than the sweet high- carbohydrate and both types of savoury snacks. Sponsorship: The study was carried out under a grant from the Sugar Bureau.