Sensitivity of ad libitum meals to detect changes in hunger. Restricted-item or multi-item testmeals in the design of preload appetite studies

► Sensitivity of restricted-item (RI) or multi-item (MI) testmeals to detect a change in hunger. ► High (HE) and low energy (LE) breakfast preloads followed by an RI or MIad libitum testmeal. ► As expected, HE breakfast suppressed hunger relative to LE breakfast. ► The greater variety of the MI testmeal promoted overeating relative to RI. ► However the MI testmeal was sensitive to change in hunger as measured by change in intake. The aims of the study were to determine whether restricted single-item or multi-item testmeals are better able to detect prior changes in hunger and fullness when assessing ad libitum eating behaviour. Thirty male participants were given a low- (LE, 0.5MJ) or high-energy (HE, 4.0MJ) breakfast preload designed to induce or suppress hunger, followed 3h later by a restricted-item (RI) or multi-item (MI) testmeal. The RI testmeal comprised pasta+meat sauce, whilst the MI testmeal comprised pasta+meat sauce plus bread, chicken, ham, cheese, salad, cake and fruit. The four conditions were (i) LE/RI; (ii) LE/MI; (iii) HE/RI; (iv) HE/MI. Visual analogue scales (VAS) were used to rate appetite sensations and EI was measured at the lunch testmeal. As expected, increasing the energy content of the preload significantly altered VAS ratings and decreased EI at the testmeal. Following both LE and HE breakfasts, EI was lower at the RI (LE=4566kJ, HE=3583kJ) compared with the MI (LE=6142kJ, HE=5149kJ) testmeal. However, the compensatory decrease in EI in response to the HE breakfast was not significantly greater at the RI testmeal (RI: −983kJ, 28.1% compensation; MI: −993kJ, 28.4% compensation). In preload studies measuring EI, increasing the variety of an ad lib testmeal may not decrease the sensitivity to detect changes in hunger and fullness.