Eating in the absence of hunger in adolescents: intake after a large-array meal compared with that after a standardized meal.
BACKGROUND
Eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) is typically assessed by measuring youths' intake of palatable snack foods after a standard meal designed to reduce hunger. Because energy intake required to reach satiety varies among individuals, a standard meal may not ensure the absence of hunger among participants of all weight strata.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to compare adolescents' EAH observed after access to a very large food array with EAH observed after a standardized meal.


METHODS
Seventy-eight adolescents participated in a randomized crossover study during which EAH was measured as intake of palatable snacks after ad libitum access to a very large array of lunch-type foods (>10,000 kcal) and after a lunch meal standardized to provide 50% of the daily estimated energy requirements.


RESULTS
The adolescents consumed more energy and reported less hunger after the large-array meal than after the standardized meal (P values < 0.001). They consumed ≈70 kcal less EAH after the large-array meal than after the standardized meal (295 ± 18 compared with 365 ± 20 kcal; P < 0.001), but EAH intakes after the large-array meal and after the standardized meal were positively correlated (P values < 0.001). The body mass index z score and overweight were positively associated with EAH in both paradigms after age, sex, race, pubertal stage, and meal intake were controlled for (P values ≤ 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
EAH is observable and positively related to body weight regardless of whether youth eat in the absence of hunger from a very large-array meal or from a standardized meal. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00631644.
Shomaker
Lauren B
LB
Unit on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. shomakel@mail.nih.gov.
Tanofsky-Kraff
Marian
M
Zocca
Jaclyn M
JM
Courville
Amber
A
Kozlosky
Merel
M
Columbo
Kelli M
KM
Wolkoff
Laura E
LE
Brady
Sheila M
SM
Crocker
Melissa K
MK
Ali
Asem H
AH
Yanovski
Susan Z
SZ
Yanovski
Jack A
JA
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000293:Adolescent; D001066:Appetite / Q000502:physiology; D001940:Breast / Q000254:growth & development; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000503:physiopathology; D018579:Patient Selection; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology; D012527:Satiation / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013737:Testis / Q000033:anatomy & histology