Short-term effects of chewing gum on snack intake and appetite

Consumers report that chewing gum can reduce cravings and the likelihood of snacking. The present study set out to examine the effects of chewing gum on subjective appetite and snack energy intake (EI) in 60 participants (40 females, 20 males, 21.7+/-4 years; BMI=22.7+/-3.4) who came to the laboratory four times for lunch and then returned 3 h later for a snack. Participants consumed salty or sweet snacks after chewing gum (sugar-free or regular) for 15 min hourly after lunch or had no-gum. Hunger, desire to eat and fullness were rated immediately after lunch (T0) and hourly post-lunch (T1 and T2) until just before snack (T3). Chewing gum reduced EI by 36 cal (401.8+/-22 kcal) compared to no-gum (437.7+/-23 kcal; p=0.04). Rated hunger increased from T0 to T3 (p<0.001); however, this was less after gum compared to no-gum (p<0.01). Desire to consume salty and sweet snacks also increased. However, desire to eat sweet snacks (but not salty) increased less after gum compared to no-gum (p=0.004). Therefore, chewing gum suppressed appetite, specifically desire for sweets and reduced snack intake. This supports anecdotal reports by consumers and could inform weight control strategies.     

Acute and chronic effects of gum chewing on food reinforcement and energy intake

Although chewing gum has been considered a potential method for reducing energy intake, little empirical data exist to support this idea. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that chewing gum before eating reduces motivation to eat, hunger, and energy intake. In order to test this hypothesis, we conducted two experiments in which participants chewed gum prior to completing a food reinforcement task or before all eating occasions for two of three weeks. In Experiment 1, we found that chewing gum had no influence on the reinforcing value of food, but chewing mint gum reduced liking of and energy intake from fruit. In addition, chewing gum reduced self-reported hunger immediately after gum chewing and after eating compared with the no gum condition. In Experiment 2, gum chewing had no significant effect on total energy intake, but participants consumed fewer meals, consumed more energy per meal, and had a lower nutrient adequacy ratio during the gum chewing weeks. These studies provide no evidence that acute or chronic gum chewing reduces hunger or energy intake. In fact, chewing mint-flavored gum may deter consumption of fruit and reduce diet quality.     

Cognitive advantages of chewing gum. Now you see them, now you don't

The current series of experiments investigated the effects of the timing of gum chewing on cognitive function, by administering a battery of cognitive tasks to participants who chewed gum either prior to or throughout testing, and comparing their performance to that of controls who did not chew gum. Chewing gum was associated with performance advantages on multiple measures when gum was chewed for 5 min before, but not during, cognitive testing. The benefits, however, persisted only for the first 15-20 min of the testing session, and did not extend to all cognitive domains. To explain this pattern of results, it is proposed that the time-limited nature of performance benefits can be attributed to mastication-induced arousal. Furthermore, the lack of improvement in cognitive function when gum is chewed throughout testing may be because of interference effects due to a sharing of resources by cognitive and masticatory processes. This dual-process mechanism is not only consistent with the outcome of present experiments but can potentially account for a wide range of findings reported in the literature.     

Chewing gum does not induce context-dependent memory when flavor is held constant

This study examined the effect of chewing gum on memory when flavor is held constant. Four separate groups of participants (total n = 101) completed a word recall task. At learning and recall, participants either chewed a piece of gum or sucked a sweet. Each participant completed the memory task twice, once with abstract words and once with concrete words. A significant effect of word type (concrete vs. abstract) was found, however recall performance was not improved by matched oral activity at learning and recall. The results cast further doubt on the ability of chewing gum to induce context-dependent memory effects.     

Association between food marketing exposure and adolescents' food choices and eating behaviors

The present study examined associations between food marketing exposure and adolescents’ food choices and reported consumption of energy-dense and nutrient-poor (EDNP) foods. A cross-sectional survey of 12,188 Australian secondary students aged 12-17 years was conducted, using a web-based self-report questionnaire. Measures included students’ level of exposure to commercial television and non-broadcast types of food marketing, whether they had tried a new product or requested a product they had seen advertised, and their reported consumption of fast food, sugary drinks and sweet and salty snacks. Results indicated greater exposure to commercial television, print/transport/school food marketing and digital food marketing were all independently associated with students’ food choices. High commercial television viewers (>2 h/day) were more likely to report higher consumption of EDNP foods (ORs ranged from 1.31 for fast food to 1.91 for sweet snacks). Some associations between digital food marketing exposure and students’ eating behaviors were found; however, print/transport/school food marketing was only related to sweet snack consumption. These study results suggest that cumulative exposure to television food advertising and other food marketing sources are positively linked to adolescents’ food choices and eating behaviors. Policy changes to restrict food marketing to young people should include both television and non-broadcast media.     

Presence of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents and University students in Crete (Greece), according to different levels of snack consumption

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) risk factors in adolescents and University students in Crete (Greece), according to different levels of snack consumption. 237 adolescents (14.2-16.3 years) and 196 University students (19.5-31.5 years) participated during 2002/3 and 2004/5. Dietary intake (24-h dietary recalls), cardiorespiratory fitness, smoking habits, time spent watching television, anthropometric, blood pressure and biochemical measurements were assessed in all subjects. Adolescents consumed snacks more often than University students (62% vs. 49.5%, P < 0.05) and had significantly higher total energy intake (8629 vs. 7641 kJ, P < 0.05) and energy intake from snacks (2537 vs. 1767 kJ, P < 0.001). Snack consumers had higher energy intake than non-consumers in both groups. No relationship was found between snack consumption and MetSyn risk factors, cardiorespiratory fitness and smoking. However, University students who consumed snacks had 15.36 times higher risk of having ≥2 MetSyn risk factors than adolescent snack consumers, had considerably higher LDL-cholesterol levels, total: HDL-cholesterol ratio and watched more television than non-consumers. These findings emphasize the need for developing effective nutrition interventions to promote healthier snack choices in adolescents and young adults with characteristics similar to our sample, in order to prevent cardiovascular risk later in adulthood.     

Children Select Unhealthy Choices when Given a Choice among Snack Offerings

Out-of-school-time programs serve snacks to millions of children annually. State and national snack policies endorse serving more-healthful options, such as fruits, yet often allow less-healthful options, such as cookies and chips, to be served simultaneously. To date, no studies have examined the choices children make when provided with disparate snack options in out-of-school-time programs. An experimental study with randomized exposures was conducted that exposed children (5 to 10 years old) to the following conditions: whole or sliced fruit; whole/sliced fruit, sugar-sweetened snacks (eg, cookies) and flavored salty (eg, nacho cheese−flavored tortilla chips) snacks; and whole/sliced fruit and less-processed/unflavored grain snacks (eg, pretzels), during a 2-week period representing 18 snack occasions (morning and afternoon) during summer 2013. The percentage of children who selected snacks, snack consumption, and percent of serving wasted were calculated and analyzed using repeated-measures analyses of variance with Bonferroni adjustments. A total of 1,053 observations were made. Sliced fruit was selected more than whole fruit across all conditions. Fruit (sliced or whole) was seldom selected when served simultaneously with sugar-sweetened (6% vs 58%) and flavored salty (6% vs 38%) snacks or unflavored grain snacks (23% vs 64%). More children consumed 100% of the sugar-sweetened (89%) and flavored salty (82%) snacks compared with fruit (71%); 100% consumption was comparable between fruit (59%) and unflavored grain snacks (49%). Approximately 15% to 47% of fruit was wasted, compared with 8% to 38% of sugar-sweetened, flavored salty, and unflavored grain snacks. Snack policies that encourage out-of-school-time programs to serve fruit require clear language that limits offering less-healthful snack options simultaneously.     

The sweet tooth hypothesis: how fruit consumption relates to snack consumption

Building on prior work related to taste preferences of fruit lovers, we investigate the "sweet tooth" hypothesis. First, using CSFII survey data, we show that fruit consumption is more highly related to sweet snack consumption than it is to salty snack consumption. Second, a follow-up study with a different population supports the relationship by showing that sweet snack consumption is more related to fruit consumption than it is to vegetable consumption. Knowing that people who frequently eat sweet snacks may be predisposed to increasing their fruit consumption will enable better targeting and tailoring of educational efforts, such as those used in the 5-a-Day for Better Health campaign.     

Taste perception and implicit attitude toward sweet related to body mass index and soft drink supplementation

These studies examined the differences in sweet taste perception and implicit attitude toward sweet between normal-weight and overweight/obese adults; and tested the effects of soft drink consumption on sweet taste, explicit preference and implicit attitude toward sweet in normal-weight subjects. In study 1, normal-weight (n = 22) and overweight/obese (n = 11) adults were assessed for sweet taste intensity and pleasantness. Implicit attitude toward sweet was assessed by implicit association test (IAT). In study 2, normal-weight, lightly active adults (n = 12) underwent one month soft drink supplementation (≈760 ml/day). This increased their daily carbohydrate intake by 2.1 ± 0.2 g/kg body weight. Sweet taste perception, explicit preference and implicit attitudes to sweet were assessed. In both studies salty taste was also assessed as a contrasting perception. Overweight/obese subjects perceived sweet and salty tastes as less intense (−23% and −19%, respectively) and reported higher IAT scores for sweet than normal-weight controls (2.1-fold). The supplementation changed sweet intensity/pleasantness ratings and it increased explicit preference (2.3-fold) for sweet in a subgroup of initial sucrose-dislikers. In conclusion, overweight/obese individuals are more implicitly attracted to sweet. One month of soft drink supplementation changed sweet taste perception of normal-weight subjects.     

Chewing gum can produce context-dependent effects upon memory

Two experiments examined whether chewing spearmint gum can affect the initial learning or subsequent recall of a word list. Comparing those participants in Experiment 1 who chewed gum at the learning or the recall phases showed that chewing gum at initial learning was associated with superior recall. In addition, chewing gum led to context-dependent effects as a switch between gum and no gum (or no gum and gum) between learning and recall led to poorer performance. Experiment 2 provided evidence that sucking gum was sufficient to induce some of the same effects as chewing.     

Prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation associated with aerobic exercise change aspects of appetite sensation in overweight adults

This study investigated whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) isolated or combined with aerobic exercise influenced the desire to eat, hunger, and satiety in overweight subjects. Nine volunteers underwent anodal or sham tDCS (2 mA; 20 min) over DLPFC and isocaloric exercise bouts (70%VO₂R; ∼200 kcal). The appetite sensations were evaluated by visual analogue scales at four moments: I - Baseline; II - After tDCS; III - Post-Exercise and IV - 30-min Post-Exercise. The tDCS on left DLPFC decreased the desire to eat at baseline (tDCS −26% vs. −14% Sham). The tDCS associated with exercise had greater suppressing effect in desire to eat compared to either tDCS or exercise alone (tDCS −39% vs. −27% Sham). Moreover, the tDCS associated with exercise decreased hunger (tDCS −48% vs. 36% Sham) and increased satiety (tDCS 28% vs. 7% Sham) immediately after exercise. The post-exercise 30-min recovery elicited an overall increase in appetite. However the increase in desire to eat and hunger after recovery was lower after tDCS (29% and 13%, respectively) compared to sham stimulation (77% and 113%, respectively). These findings in overweight subjects indicate that the combination of tDCS over DLPFC and aerobic exercise induced greater decrease in appetite sensations compared to anodal tDCS or exercise alone.     

Comparison of sensory specific satiety and sensory specific desires to eat in children and adults

The aim of this experiment is to compare sensory specific satiety (SSS) and sensory specific desire to eat (SSD), which can be described as general wanting for certain taste categories and go beyond specific foods, in children and adults and their impact on subsequent food choices. Eighty-seven children (10.3 ± 0.6 years) and 49 adults (31.0 ± 2.0 years) participated in the study. Sweet pear banana yoghurt was used as the food eaten to satiation, and test foods representing sweet, salty, sour, bitter, “fatty”, and “spicy” flavors were also evaluated (foods not eaten). At baseline and post meal participants evaluated hunger, satiation, liking, and wanting for test foods and yoghurt, and desires on a 150 mm visual analogue score (VAS) scale. The yoghurt was eaten until a state of “comfortable satiation” was reached. Results showed that SSS and SSD were expressed differently in children and adults. In children, SSS was primarily product specific and bound to the yoghurt, whereas in adults SSS was transferred to the uneaten foods sharing sensory characteristics with the yoghurt (namely sweet, sour and “fatty”), which all decreased in their liking post meal. Similar differences were found for SSD. We conclude that children and adults differ in their expression of SSS and SSD, and this might have implications for planning meal compositions.     

Protein Beverage vs. Protein Gel on Appetite Control and Subsequent Food Intake in Healthy Adults

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of food form and physicochemical properties of protein snacks on appetite and subsequent food intake in healthy adults. Twelve healthy subjects received a standardized breakfast and then 2.5 h post-breakfast consumed the following snacks, in randomized order: 0 kcal water (CON) or 96 kcal whey protein snacks as beverages with a pH of either 3.0 (Bev-3.0) or 7.0 (Bev-7.0) or gels as acid (Gel-Acid) or heated (Gel-Heated). In-vitro study showed that Bev-3.0 was more resistant to digestion than Bev-7.0, while Gel-Acid and Gel-Heated had similar digestion pattern. Appetite questionnaires were completed every 20 min until an ad libitum lunch was provided. Post-snack hunger, desire to eat, and prospective food consumption were lower following the beverages and gels vs. CON (all, p < 0.05), and post-snack fullness was greater following the snacks (except for the Bev-3.0) vs. CON (all, p < 0.05). Gel-Heated treatment led to lower prospective food consumption vs. Bev-3.0; however, no other differences were detected. Although all snacks reduced energy intake vs. CON, no differences were observed among treatments. This study suggested that whey protein in either liquid or solid form improves appetite, but the physicochemical property of protein has a minimal effect.     

Development and Validation of a Beverage and Snack Questionnaire for Use in Evaluation of School Nutrition Policies

School nutrition policies limiting access to sweetened beverages, candy, and salty snacks have the potential to improve the health of children. To effectively evaluate policy success, appropriate and validated dietary assessment instruments are needed. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a beverage and snack questionnaire suitable for use among young adolescents. A new 19-item Beverage and Snack Questionnaire (BSQ) was administered to middle school students on two occasions, 2 weeks apart, to measure test-retest reliability. The questionnaire inquired about frequency of consumption, both at school and away from school, of soft drinks, salty snacks, sweets, milk, and fruits and vegetables. Students also completed 4-day food records. To assess validity, food-record data were compared with BSQ data. Forty-six students of diverse backgrounds from metropolitan Seattle, WA, participated in this study. Participants answered the BSQ during class time and completed the food record at home. Pearson correlation coefficients assessed test-retest reliability and validity. Using frequency per week data, the test-retest reliability coefficients were r=0.85 for fruits and vegetables consumed at school and r=0.74 and r=0.72 for beverages and sweets/snacks, respectively, consumed at school. Correlations ranged from r=0.73 to 0.77 for foods consumed outside of school. Compared with the criterion food record, validity coefficients were very good: r=0.69 to 0.71 for foods consumed at school and r=0.63 to 0.70 for foods consumed away from school. The validity coefficients for the 19 individual food items ranged from r=0.56 to 0.87. This easy-to-administer 19-item questionnaire captures data on sugar-sweetened beverages, salty snacks, sweets, milk, and fruit and vegetables as well as a more lengthy and expensive food record does. The BSQ can be used by nutrition researchers and practitioners to accurately evaluate student consumption of foods that are the focus of school nutrition policies.     

成都市学龄儿童零食行为研究

目的了解成都市学龄儿童零食行为现状,为指导儿童合理消费零食提供依据。方法整群抽取成都市城区2所小学四～六年级学生1290名,对近6个月的零食行为进行问卷调查。结果近6个月以来调查对象吃零食频率在3次/d以内者达93.4%;最常吃的零食为水果(54.1%),冰激凌(35.3%),糖果、巧克力(28.2%);选择高糖高脂高盐零食者达93.7%;在非饥饿状态下吃零食的比例为69.0%,因饥饿而吃零食的比例为31.0%;选择零食的依据主要是味道(83.4%)、营养(52.2%)、父母准备(17.7%)和家人常吃(15.0%);吃零食的时间依次为晚餐前(53.3%)、晚餐后(28.7%)和晚上睡觉前(9.2%);零食来源主要是自己购买(54.3%)和父母准备(43.5%)。结论成都市学龄儿童零食行为仍存在一定问题,亟待引导和改善。     

Effects of 6 Months of Soy-Enriched High Protein Compared to Eucaloric Low Protein Snack Replacement on Appetite,Dietary Intake,and Body Composition in Normal-Weight Obese Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

(1) Background: The favorable effects of high protein snacks on body composition and appetite status in lean and athletic populations have been illustrated previously. However, the effects of soy-enriched high protein snacks have not been investigated in women with normal-weight obesity (NWO). Consequently, we aimed at comparing the effects of six months of soy-enriched high protein snack replacement on appetite, body composition, and dietary intake in women with NWO. (2) Methods: One hundred seven (107) women with NWO [(age: 24 ± 3 yrs, BMI: 22.7 ± 2.3 kg/m², body fat percentage (BFP): 38 ± 3.2%)] who were assigned to one of two groups; high protein snack (HP, n = 52) containing 50 g soybean or isocaloric low-protein snack (protein: 18.2 g, carbohydrate: 15 g, fat: 10 g, energy: 210 kcal) or isocaloric low protein snack (LP, n = 55) containing 3.5 servings of fruit (protein: <2 g, carbohydrate: ≈50 g, fat: <1 g, energy: ≈210 kcal) as part of their daily meals (as a snack at 10 a.m.), successfully completed the study interventions. Body mass (BM), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), BFP, skeletal muscle mass, dietary intake, and appetite levels were evaluated prior to and after the six-month intervention. (3) Results: Appetite (HP = −12 mm and LP = −0.6 mm), energy intake (HP = −166.2 kcal/day and LP = 91.3 kcal), carbohydrate intake (HP = −58.4 g/day and LP = 6.4 g/day), WC (HP = −4.3 cm and LP = −0.9 cm), and BFP (HP = −3.7% and LP = −0.9%) were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced, while skeletal muscle mass (HP = 1.2 kg and LP = 0.3 kg) significantly increased in the HP compared to the LP group, respectively. (4) Conclusions: Six months of a soy-enriched high protein snack replacement decreased appetite and improved body composition in women with NWO. Our findings suggest that soy-enriched high protein snacks are an efficacious strategy for body composition improvement.     

Experimental effects of chocolate deprivation on cravings, mood, and consumption in high and low chocolate-cravers

This study examined how deprivation of chocolate affects state-level chocolate cravings, mood, and chocolate consumption in high and low trait-level chocolate-cravers. After identifying high and low chocolate cravers (N = 58), half of the participants were instructed not to eat any chocolate for 2 weeks. This created four experimental groups: deprived high-cravers (n = 14), deprived low-cravers (n = 14), non-deprived high-cravers (n = 15), and non-deprived low-cravers (n = 15). Following 2-week deprivation, state-level food cravings, mood, and chocolate intake were measured in a laboratory setting and compared across groups. Analyses revealed that anxiety increased over time for high-cravers (both deprived and non-deprived); state-level chocolate- and food-craving increased over time for both deprived groups and non-deprived high-cravers; non-deprived high-cravers ate the most chocolate; and, high-cravers were more joyful and guilty than low-cravers after eating chocolate in the laboratory. Theoretically, these results suggest that chocolate consumption may be better explained by trait-level of chocolate craving than by deprivation and highlighted significant differences in mood, state-level cravings, and chocolate intake between cravers and non-cravers following deprivation.     

Peer influence on youth's snack purchases: a laboratory analog of convenience store shopping

ObjectiveThis paper reports the results of two experiments using a laboratory analog to examine the influence of taxes and subsidies on youth's snack food purchases when alone (Experiment 1) and when in the presence of a same-gender peer (Experiment 2).MethodAdolescents (12–14-years-old) completed a purchasing task, during which prices of snack foods were manipulated, either alone in Experiment 1 (N = 37) or in the presence of an unfamiliar peer in Experiment 2 (N = 52).ResultsIn both experiments, purchases of unhealthy snacks decreased and purchases of healthy snacks increased when the price of unhealthy snacks were taxed (increased). In Experiment 1 (alone), participants did not purchase more healthy snacks when the price of these snacks were subsidized (decreased). However, in Experiment 2 (when participants were in the presence of a peer), participants purchased more healthy snacks when these snacks were subsidized.ConclusionTaxes and subsidies affect adolescents' snack purchasing, as does the presence of peers. The results of this study highlight factors that influence healthy and unhealthy snack purchasing behavior in young adolescents.