Effect of the energy density and volume of high carbohydrate meals on short term satiety in preschool children

Objective: To investigate the effect of energy density and food volume inta kes in one meal (lunch-time) on food and energy intakes in the subsequent m eal (tea-time). Design: During lunch, two meals with different energy densities (1.26 and 0 .69 kcal/g) were offered to preschool children using normal foods and maint aining a similar energy, carbohydrate, and fat intakes. In the subsequent m eal a varied type of high acceptability foods were served in higher amounts than those that children usually consume. Setting: A day care center where the children were fed during lunch-time an d tea-time. Subjects: Two hundred and thirty-four normal preschool children, 108 males and 126 females, according to the weight for height index using the NCHS st andards. Methods: Chemical analysis of the meals sen ed using the AOAC methods and d etermination of food and energy intakes by differential weighing of the foo ds. Results: The preschool children had a similar energy intake at lunch but a significantly higher food intake when they consumed the meal with the lower energy density (313 Es 290.7 kcal) (P = 0.001). There were no differences in the food intakes at the subsequent meal times. Conclusions: The results of this present work demonstrate that under the co nditions of the study, there is an inverse relationship between the energy density of the meals consumed at the first meal-time and the energy intakes at the subsequent meal in normal preschool children; and a direct relation ship with the short-term satiety. It is possible that differences in satiet y reflect, in part, effects from the characteristics of the normal food use d in the dietary treatments. These conclusions suggest that future research must be carried out in order to investigate the separate effects of food a nd the dietary variables commonly used in the studies of food and energy re gulations in humans.