Background: In view of the influence of dietary habits on obesity, human ea
ting patterns merit study.
Objective: We investigated the behavioral and biological consequences of co
nsumption of a 1-MJ snack by subjects in a satiety state.
Design: Eleven lean young men were deprived of time cues and subjected to c
ontinuous blood withdrawal over each of 4 sessions scheduled 2 wk apart. Th
e first session was a basal session designed to determine the following in
each subject: 1) the amount eaten in an ad libitum lunch: 2) the temporal p
atterns of plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, fatty acids, and tria
cylglycerols between lunch and the spontaneous dinner request; and 3) the l
atency of the dinner request. In the 3 other sessions, each subject ingeste
d the same lunch as in the basal session and a nutritionally well-balanced
snack either 5 min before his individual peak of hyperglycemia observed in
the first session, 40 min after this peak, or 120 min before the time he ha
d requested his dinner in the first session.
Results: There was no significant difference in latency of the dinner reque
st or the energy intake-at dinner between sessions. Insulin secretion incre
ased but glucose profiles did not change significantly regardless of the ti
me of snack intake.
Conclusion: A snack consumed in a satiety stare fails to prolong the interm
eal interval and would thus tend to favor storage.