The effect of increasing the relative cost of palatable food with respect to ordinary food on total-energy intake of eight obese inpatients.
1. It has been suggested that obese subjects have a greater relative preference for palatable foods than lean subjects. 2. The food intake of eight obese subjects was measured using an automated food dispensing machine. 3. Subjects ate ad libitum for the first three days from a range of acceptable foods predetermined by questionnaire. 4. On the next three days the food which subjects chose most frequently ('palatable' food) was priced at a level such that if the subjects maintained their intake of that food they were forced to reduce their total energy intake by 50 per cent, but the subjects were able to obtain food sufficient to maintain their energy intake only if they ate exclusively food rated as 'ordinary'. 5. On this differential fixed price schedule the obese subjects reduced total energy intake to a small extent (20 per cent) whereas their intake of palatable food was reduced to a larger extent (65 per cent). Thus obese subjects relatively defended energy intake at the expense of palatability. Hunger and appetite ratings did not differ from each other throughout the study.
D000328:Adult; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology