Scientists from the University of Bristol found that humans moderate the size of energy-rich meals they eat, suggesting people are smarter eaters than previously thought.
The findings revisit the long-held belief that humans are insensitive to the energy content of the foods they consume and are therefore prone to eating the same amount of food(in weight) regardless of whether it is energy-rich or energy-poor.
The research is published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and was conducted by Annika Flynn et al.
In the study, the team looked at data from a trial using a normal, everyday meal with different energy densities, such as a chicken salad sandwich with fig roll biscuits or porridge with blueberries and almonds.
The trial involved 20 healthy adults who temporarily lived in a hospital ward where they were served a variety of meals for four weeks.
The team calculated the calories, grams, and energy density (calories per gram) for every meal each participant consumed.
They found that meal calorie intake increased with energy density in energy-poor meals as previous observations with artificially manipulated foods also found.
However, surprisingly, with greater energy density a turning point was observed whereby people start to respond to increases in calories by reducing the size of the meals they consume.
This suggests a previously unrecognized sensitivity to the energy content of the meals people were eating.
As this finding was based on data from a small, highly-controlled trial, the researchers went on to see if this pattern remained when participants lived freely, choosing their own meals.
They used data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey and again found meal calorie intake increased with energy density in meals that were energy-poor and then decreased in energy-rich meals.
Importantly, for this turning point pattern to occur, participants would have needed to consume smaller meals, by weight, of the more energy-rich meals.
This research sheds new light on human eating behavior, specifically an apparent subtle sensitivity to calories in energy-rich meals.
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