title: Effect of limiting snack food variety on long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony during obesity treatment.
abstract: Limiting meal variety decreases hedonic ratings of eaten foods more so than non-eaten foods, demonstrating sensory-specific satiety. Exposure to a food over time decreases the food's hedonic ratings, indicating monotony. The effect of limiting food group variety over time on long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony is unknown. Thirty overweight adults were randomized to one of two 8-week behavioral weight loss interventions. One condition limited snack food intake to one chosen snack food (reduced variety), while the other limited snack food intake to <1 serving/day (control), with no variety limit. In the reduced variety condition, hedonic ratings of the chosen snack food showed a decrease (p < .05) over time and decreased more (p < .05) than hedonic ratings of other snack foods. Weight loss (-7.4 +/- 5.8 lb) occurred in both conditions. Limiting food group variety over 8 weeks produced long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony. Future research should examine if limiting food group variety over an extended time affects intake and could be used as a technique in weight loss interventions.
authors.affiliation: The Miriam Hospital Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, Brown University Medical School, Providence, RI 02903, USA. hraynor@lifespan.org
authors.forename: Hollie A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Raynor
authors.forename: Heather M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Niemeier
authors.forename: Rena R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Wing
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000628:therapy*; D010507:Periodicity; D012528:Satiety Response / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D015431:Weight Loss