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Does Greater Variety Increase Consumption of Healthy Foods?
Author(s) -
Raynor Hollie,
Osterholt Kathrin,
Wing Rena
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.545.10
Subject(s) - food intake , medicine , body mass index , food consumption , food group , zoology , food science , environmental health , biology , agricultural economics , economics
Background Greater dietary variety increases intake. Most studies of variety have examined its effect on energy‐dense foods, emphasizing the negative impact variety has on intake. This investigation examined if greater variety increases intake of a healthy, low‐energy‐dense food, fruit. Methods Participants were 20 healthy adults (26.5 + 8.2 years, 50% female, 100 % Caucasian), who were non‐obese (body mass index [BMI] = 22.9 + 3.0), unrestrained eaters (6.4 + 3.2). Participants received 4 courses of the same fruit (NON‐VARIETY [NV]) and 4 courses of 4 different fruits (VARIETY [V]) to eat during a laboratory session. The conditions of NV and V were counterbalanced across participants, and participants received their highest liked fruit to consume in NV. Each course contained 200 g of fruit and participants were given 7 minutes to eat the fruit ad libitum before the next course. Results Intake decreased in each successive course (p < 0.01), but was greater in courses 3 and 4 in V as compared to NV, such that a significant (p < 0.05) interaction (condition x course) occurred, with intake in course 4 greater in V than in NV (65.2 + 42.2 g vs. 41.0 + 46.8 g). Intake across all 4 courses in V was 355.9 + 139.1 g vs. 330.1 + 168.7 g in NV. Conclusion Increasing the variety of fruits eaten may be a dietary environmental strategy that can increase intake of healthy, low‐energy‐dense foods. Supported by grant ADA 7‐05‐HFC‐27