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Biomedical subjects

M M Hetherington

Publications and source records attributed to M M Hetherington.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Acute effects of an alcoholic drink on food intake: aperitif versus co-ingestion.

To compare the effects on appetite and energy intake (EI) within a meal and across 4 days of drinking wine either before (aperitif) or with (co-ingestion) a meal, 11 men attended the laboratory on three occasions. On each occasion participants were given breakfast in the laboratory then 3 h later returned for a two course (garlic bread, pizza) lunch, then recorded food intake for the remainder of the day and the next 3 days. In the control condition, participants ate lunch ad libitum; in the aperitif condition 375 ml of red wine was consumed 20 min before lunch; and in the co-ingestion condition 125 ml of red wine was consumed with the starter and 250 ml of red wine was consumed with the main course. Subjective ratings of appetite and mood were administered before and after the meal. EI at lunch was greater when wine was consumed (p<0.01) (aperitif: 6436+/-435 kJ; co-ingestion: 6254+/-417 kJ) compared to control (5125+/-262 kJ). In particular, intake of the starter was enhanced by wine consumption. Having wine as an aperitif significantly influenced subjective ratings of light headedness and fatigue. These results suggest that the effects of wine on appetite are immediate, and stimulate food intake early in the meal. Total EI during the test days was significantly higher than during subsequent days revealing a tendency to overeat in the laboratory, exacerbated by drinking wine before or with lunch. However, lean healthy men adjusted total EI on the days following the laboratory in all conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Volume and variety: relative effects on food intake.

Volume has been shown to be an important direct control of food intake, since larger volumes of food consumed prior to a meal can inhibit subsequent intake. Variety of food is known to stimulate food intake. The present study was designed to examine the relative effects of manipulating the volume of a soup preload in the context of providing either a single or a variety of sandwich fillings. Thirty participants (15 females; 15 males) attended the laboratory on 4 occasions to receive a low (f=240 ml, 3.6 kJ/g; m=300 ml, 3.6 kJ/g) or high (f=480 ml, 1.8 kJ/g; m=600 ml, 1.8 kJ/g) volume tomato soup preload 30 min before a sandwich lunch with either single or a variety of fillings. Overall, subjects reported significant differences in hunger and fullness as a function of volume manipulations but the satiety quotient (SQ: change in ratings divided by weight of soup) calculated just before lunch indicated a smaller SQ for high than for the low volume soup. Therefore, although subjective ratings were influenced by volume this was not sufficient to affect intake at lunch. Variety (2344+/-200 kJ) increased food intake at lunch compared to the single filling condition (2062+/-171 kJ), an enhancement by variety of 14%. In conclusion, lowering energy density and increasing volume by adding water failed to reduce intake at lunch. Clearly volume effects on intake rely both on amount consumed and energy density. As predicted, variety stimulated food intake and this occurred across volume conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Pleasure and alcohol: manipulating pleasantness and the acute effects of alcohol on food intake.

To examine the effects of manipulating pleasantness on subsequent energy intake following a moderate dose of alcohol, 12 males attended the laboratory on four occasions. On each occasion participants consumed breakfast then 4 h later were offered lunch. Twenty minutes before lunch participants received an alcohol (24 g ethyl alcohol, 1508 kJ, 405 ml) or a no-alcohol (867 kJ, 405 ml) containing beverage followed by a lunch of either "bland" (rated pleasantness=66+/-13 mm) or "flavoured" (73+/-10 mm) foods. Subjective ratings of appetite, mood and pleasantness of several bland and tasty foods were taken before and after preloads and lunch. Ad libitum energy intake at lunch was greater following alcohol in both taste conditions (p<0.01) (Alcohol/Bland, 2053+/-663 kJ; Alcohol/Flavoured, 1989+/-580 kJ) in comparison to the no-alcohol conditions (No-alcohol/Bland, 1548+/-357 kJ; No-alcohol/Flavoured 1670+/-401 kJ). No additive effect of palatability and alcohol was found; alcohol did not differentially affect intake of lunch items. Nor did alcohol increase the pleasantness of foods. Sensory specific satiety (SSS) was observed both following the preload and following lunch, with no discernible effects of alcohol on SSS. In conclusion, alcohol promoted food intake but this did not occur via the additive effects of alcohol and palatability nor through increasing the pleasantness of the taste of foods. Further research on the mechanism underlying the stimulating effects of alcohol on appetite is warranted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Childhood obesity and socioeconomic status: a novel role for height growth limitation.

OBJECTIVE: To assess prevalence and socioeconomic context of overweight and obesity in a cohort of Scottish children. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary schools in Dundee, Angus, and Fife, Eastern Scotland, UK. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1240 boys and 1214 girls aged between 4-10 y. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Weight, height and body mass index (weight/height2). RESULTS: Overall overweight or obesity prevalence was 24.6%, while prevalence of obesity alone was 6.1%. Individuals from schools with a high level of low-income families were 65% more likely to be overweight as judged by BMI. However, these children weighed the same as more affluent children of the same age, but were 1.26 cm shorter. CONCLUSION: These data confirm the continued increase in childhood obesity in the UK and reveal a role for height-growth limitation in the absence of overall growth restriction, among children from low-income groups. This observation raises important questions regarding socioeconomic environmental factors in promoting the currently increasing levels of obesity.

Body Height↗
PubMed2004

Stress and eating: the effects of ego-threat and cognitive demand on food intake in restrained and emotional eaters.

Restrained and emotional eaters overeat in response to stress. To compare differential effects of cognitive demand and ego-threatening stressors on subsequent chocolate intake, 38 females completed a neutral (control), an ego threatening and an incongruent Stroop colour-naming task on three separate occasions. Participants were assigned to four groups based on median-split scores on the restrained and emotional eating scales of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire-high restraint/high emotional, high restraint/low emotional, low restraint/high emotional and low restraint/low emotional. Higher response latencies were observed in the incongruent task, confirming its greater cognitive (attentional) demand. Overall intake was enhanced by 23% after ego-threat and 15% after the incongruent Stroop task relative to control. Restraint was associated with greater intake after both ego-threat and the incongruent task than in the control condition. In contrast, emotional eating was associated with greater intake after only the ego-threat, relative to control. A positive association between reaction time and subsequent intake in all conditions for high restraint/low emotional eaters provided support for the limited capacity hypothesis. Enhanced intake in emotional eaters is proposed to relate to escape from self-awareness. These findings demonstrate differential effects of threat and demand on stress-related eating in restrained and emotional eaters.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Dose-dependent effects of alcohol on appetite and food intake.

To examine the potential dose-response effect of alcohol on appetite and food intake, 12 males attended the laboratory on three occasions. On each occasion, they were given a standard breakfast, then lunch 3 h later, and dinner, 4 h after that. Thirty minutes before lunch, Ss received 330 ml of no-alcohol lager (263 kJ: no-alcohol condition), the same amount of lager spiked with 1 unit (1 UA: 8 g ethyl alcohol, 498.2 kJ) or 4 units of alcohol (4 UA: 32 g ethyl alcohol, 1203.8 kJ). Visual analogue scale (VAS) ratings of appetite and mood were recorded before and after preloads and lunch, then hourly across the day. Intake at lunch (excluding energy from the preload) was significantly higher following 4 UA (5786+/-991 kJ) compared to 1 UA (4928+/-1245 kJ). Participants consumed more high-fat salty food items at lunch following 4 UA compared to the other preloads. Hunger was rated higher following 4 UA across the day in comparison to the other preloads, but fullness ratings failed to reflect any difference by condition. Energy intake at dinner was similar in all conditions and total energy intake across the day was significantly higher after 4 UA (14,615+/-1540 kJ) than after 1 UA (13,204+/-2156 kJ). In conclusion, above a certain threshold, alcohol appears to stimulate appetite in part, due to elevated levels of subjective hunger. When this occurs, energy intake is not reduced at subsequent meals. Thus, alcohol may contribute to positive energy balance via its additive effects to total energy intake and by short-term appetite stimulation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Nutritional supplementation in older adults: pleasantness, preference and selection of sip-feeds.

OBJECTIVES: Malnourishment is common in older adults, and nutritional supplementation is used to improve body weight and well-being. Clinical reports suggest, however, that patients routinely reject sip-feeds. The present study examined the following questions: whether sip-feeds are less preferred and less likely to be selected than other energy-dense foods in healthy elders; and whether eating alone further reduces intake relative to eating in a social setting. METHODS: Twenty-one healthy older adults (aged 60-79 years) attended the laboratory on three occasions. Subjects rated six different flavours of sip-feed and then rated the pleasantness of the taste of the favoured flavour against five other energy-dense familiar foods/drinks. Intake of these foods was measured when subjects ate alone or in a group of familiar others. RESULTS: Favourite flavour of sip-feed compared well with other more familiar foods and was selected as part of a snack. Snack intake increased by 60% when consumed in a group setting compared with eating alone. CONCLUSIONS: The study suggests that sip-feeds are rated as pleasant and selected by free-living elders. Rejection of sip-feeds in hospitalized elders may relate more to loss of appetite than to the taste preference for sip-feeds, and that eating alone rather than in groups of familiar others is likely to compound eating problems.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Stimulus satiation: effects of repeated exposure to foods on pleasantness and intake.

Frequent and repeated exposure to foods produces stimulus satiation or monotony. To explore further the nature of stimulus satiation, two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of initial pleasantness and frequency of intake on monotony. Tests showed that bread and butter was eaten more frequently but was liked less than chocolate. Therefore, normal-weight, healthy males were randomly assigned to either a chocolate condition (CC, N=13) or bread and butter condition (BC, N=16). All subjects received fixed amounts of the assigned food (67g/1473kJ of chocolate or 95g/1355kJ of bread and butter) every day for 22 days. On days 1, 8, 15 and 22 subjects consumed this food ad libitum. Pleasantness of taste and desire to eat chocolate declined significantly over time but no such changes were observed for bread and butter. Experiment 2 examined intake, pleasantness and desire to eat chocolate in 53 subjects over a 15 day period, with 3 conditions: control (CS: N=15), fixed (FS: N=20) and variable (VS: N=18). CS received no chocolate except on test days (days 1, 8 and 15), FS received 67g/1473kJ of chocolate daily and VS received increasing amounts of chocolate from 57g/1251kJ on day 1 to 86g/1888kJ by day 12. Pleasantness and desire to eat chocolate declined over time with this being more pronounced for F and V subjects. However, ad libitum intake increased over time. Both experiments demonstrated significant changes in pleasantness and desire to eat chocolate, but no commensurate decline in intake. Thus, although stimulus satiation occurred for subjective ratings of pleasantness and desire to eat chocolate, intake remained unaffected. This apparent dissociation between pleasantness and intake may reflect different processes underlying liking and wanting.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Testing the efficacy of an eating disorder prevention program.

OBJECTIVE: The efficacy of an eating disorder prevention program was tested in a group of preadolescent females. Improvements in self-esteem and eating behavior were predicted relative to a control group. METHOD: Two interventions lasting 5 weeks were designed and then administered to two groups of preadolescent females. Self-esteem, body esteem, dietary restraint, and eating pathology were measured before, immediately, and 6 months following an eating disorders prevention program (n = 16) and a similarly designed control program (n = 13) focusing on fruit and vegetable intake. RESULTS: Dietary restraint in both groups decreased following the interventions. Self-esteem improved in the experimental group, but this was only marginally significant. DISCUSSION: Eating disorder prevention programs may be most effective when targeted at older, more at-risk girls. However, encouraging healthy eating in both groups of preadolescent girls reduced dietary restraint, which may be an important step in the prevention of later eating disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Stimulation of appetite by alcohol.

To investigate the effects of alcohol on appetite and food intake, 26 males attended the laboratory on three occasions. On each occasion, they were given a standard breakfast. Visual analog scale ratings of hunger, desire to eat and fullness (appetite ratings) were recorded from before breakfast until their return to the laboratory for lunch. Thirty minutes before lunch, subjects either rested (baseline), were given 330 ml of a no-alcohol lager (264 kJ: no-alcohol condition) or 330 ml of the same lager spiked with 3 units of alcohol (24 g ethyl alcohol; total energy=969 kJ: alcohol condition). Ratings of appetite were taken before and after the preload or baseline rest period and again before and hourly after lunch. The test meal at lunch consisted of a buffet-style array of foods and chilled water. Ad libitum intake at lunch (excluding energy from alcohol) was significantly higher following alcohol (7301+/-442 kJ) compared to both baseline (6365+/-334 kJ) and the no-alcohol conditions (6479+/-289 kJ). Appetite ratings failed to demonstrate any differences between alcohol and the no-alcohol condition. Total energy intake (including energy from alcohol) was enhanced in the alcohol condition by 30%, suggesting that energy from alcohol is not compensated in the short-term and may even have a stimulatory effect on food intake.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Dysfunctional eating in the eating disorders.

Aberrant eating patterns in the eating disorders have been observed across various laboratory-based and clinical studies. It is now clear that problems in experiencing and expressing hunger, appetite, and satiety in anorexia and bulimia nervosa are likely to perpetuate the disorders once established. Whether problems in appetite regulation are primary or secondary to the development of the disorders is unknown. In studies examining indices of appetite regulation after treatment, there still remain significant levels of eating abnormality. This suggests that the main goals of treatment, including restoration of body weight in anorexia nervosa, abstaining from dieting in anorexia or bulimia nervosa, and reducing or abstaining from binge eating, do not correct some features of abnormal eating. The efficacy of nutritional counseling and specific nutritional management programs have been tested, and these seem to produce positive outcomes in improving eating behavior. Direct behavioral interventions to change eating patterns also have been examined, and these too seem to produce benefits that may be incorporated into CBT. Greater collaboration and cooperation between researchers and clinicians in addressing dysfunctional eating in the eating disorders will highlight improvements in treatment for identifiable eating abnormalities and will further the understanding of the human appetite system.

Cues↗
PubMed2001

Preferences for different high-energy foods in elderly medical in-patients.

Malnourishment is a common finding in hospitalised elderly patients. It is often addressed by the provision of nutritional supplements, in the form of sip-feeds. Patients' intake of these is frequently inadequate. We assessed the palatability of sip-feed nutritional supplements and other high-energy foods to elderly medical in-patients. Using the Lickhert Scale, 49 subjects rated the taste of a previously selected sip-feed supplement and five other high-energy foods, cheese biscuit, plain potato crisps, chocolate, cherry-flavoured cereal bar and stout beer. Subjects rated the taste of sip-feeds as favourably as all other offered foods, with the exception of the lower rated stout beer (p = 0.0001). Taste alone is unlikely to account for the poor intake of sip-feed nutritional supplements by elderly hospital patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Effects of acute food deprivation on eating behavior in eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Effects of acute food deprivation on eating behavior in bulimic patients and controls were investigated. It was predicted that food deprivation would increase overall food intake and result in overeating in bulimics. METHOD: Following 19 hr of food deprivation (in which breakfast and lunch were skipped), or no deprivation, food intake was measured in 9 inpatients with anorexia nervosa (binge eating/purging subtype, ANB), 10 inpatient (BN/in) and 9 outpatient (BN/out) normal-weight bulimics, and 11 unrestrained and 10 restrained controls. RESULTS: A general trend for increased food intake following deprivation was found. However, only BN/in patients consumed significantly more and selected higher energy foods following deprivation. ANB patients demonstrated the greatest degree of variability in intake and the least magnitude of change in ratings as a function of eating. DISCUSSION: A period of acute food deprivation did not trigger marked eating pathology as evidenced by overconsumption. Chronic dietary restraint may be a more potent precipitating factor in overeating than absolute number of hours of food restriction.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Psychological and physiological characteristics of sweet food "addiction".

OBJECTIVE: Drug addicts in general can be distinguished from nonaddicts by their affective and physiological and craving responses to drug-related cues. The purpose of this study was to examine similar affective, physiological, and behavioral variables in chocolate "addicts" and control subjects. METHODS: Sixteen addicts and 15 control subjects took part in two laboratory experiments in which their heart rate, salivation, and self-reported responses were measured. RESULTS: In the presence of external chocolate cues, chocolate addicts were more aroused, reported greater cravings, experienced more negative affect, and also ate more chocolate than control subjects. Self-report measures on eating attitudes and behavior, body image, and depression confirmed that a relationship exists between "chocolate addiction" and problem eating. Chocolate addicts showed more aberrant eating behaviors and attitudes than controls, and were also significantly more depressed. DISCUSSION: Chocolate addicts may be considered to be a parallel with addicts generally, because they differ from controls in craving for chocolate, eating behavior, and psychopathology (in respect of eating and affect).

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Effects of preloads of differing energy and macronutrient content on eating behavior in bulimia nervosa.

Evidence suggests that bulimics demonstrate blunted satiety possibly due to repeated episodes of overeating. This suggestion was tested further by comparing responses to yogurt preloads differing in carbohydrate and fat relative to a lower energy control yogurt in 12 bulimics and 12 age- and weight-matched controls. Participants were tested on three occasions at lunchtime. On each occasion, appetite and mood were rated before and after receiving a lunch of raspberry yogurt (350 g). Covert manipulation of energy and nutrient content was achieved by matching the yogurts on sensory properties and formulating a control yogurt (161 kcal), a high-fat version (357 kcal: 65% calories from fat), and a high-carbohydrate version (357 kcal: 81% calories from carbohydrate). Although there were no differential effects of the preloads on intake of an ad libitum test meal given 5 hr later in either the control or bulimic groups, there were significant differences in test meal energy intake between groups. On average and with all conditions combined, bulimics ate significantly fewer calories (775 +/- 167 kcal) than controls (1182 +/- 94 kcal) and consumed a greater percentage of calories from carbohydrate than controls. Bulimics restricted their intake relative to controls, and chose foods low in fat. This study provides further evidence of restricted eating in bulimia nervosa when the opportunity to purge is not available. Furthermore, the present study suggests that intake by bulimics is not influenced by nutrient content per se but by consideration of the caloric value of foods and the consequences of eating certain foods for weight control.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Sensory-specific satiety and its importance in meal termination.

Pleasantness is important in influencing food choice, and may play a role in determining the amount of food consumed. Judgements of pleasantness decrease as the food is eaten. It has been proposed that his reflects the development of satiety to a specific food. However, consumers may not rate these changes as important in meal termination. Fifty-seven subjects were given ad lib access to a test meal of cheese on crackers and at the end of this meal recorded the main reason for stopping from a possible seven statements. They then rank ordered the importance of each reason. One hour later, subjects were offered a choice of the same food, a different food, or no second course. Again reasons for stopping were recorded by those who selected a second course. The most common reason given for a meal termination in the first course was "I got tired of eating that food" (40%) and for the second course "I felt full" (48%). Subjects were divided into those who rated fatigue and changes in pleasantness as important and those who rated fullness as more important. Significant differences in intake between these groups indicated that those who rated fatigue/hedonics as important consumed significantly fewer calories (275 +/- 23 kcal) than those who rated fullness as more important (424 +/- 65 kcal). It is argued that fatigue experienced by subjects may reflect sensory fatigue and that this is an important part of the development of sensory-specific satiety. Since subjects who rated gastric fullness as the most important reason for terminating the meal consumed more calories, it is suggested that this index of satiety may be relatively more crude than sensory or hedonic variables.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Pleasure and excess: liking for and overconsumption of chocolate.

Responses to three different presentations of a highly liked food (chocolate) were measured in two groups of female subjects. One group of subjects identified themselves as overeaters of chocolate (overeaters), while the other group of subjects were of a similar age and body mass index, but ate this food in moderation (controls). The three conditions of presentation were (a) a fixed amount of milk chocolate; (b) ad lib access to milk chocolate; and (c) a self-selected amount of the individual's most preferred form of chocolate. The main findings were that variables associated with the excitation of appetite (hunger, desire to eat, prospective consumption) were higher in overeaters and variables associated with the inhibition of appetite (fullness, changes in pleasantness and pleasure of eating) were lower in overeaters relative to controls. It is suggested that investigations of individuals who eat certain foods to excess can inform our understanding of normative and aberrant eating behaviour.

Adult↗