Cognitive Influences of Food Form on Post‐Ingestive Responses in Humans

Energy compensation responses are weaker for beverage than for solid food forms, but the mechanisms remain uncharacterized. This study assessed the effect of cognitive cues from food forms, on appetite, diet, GI transit and selected endocrine responses. Influence of physical fitness and body adiposity were also assessed. Following screening assessments, healthy adults (n=52 total) were assigned to a lean/fit, lean/unfit, obese/fit or obese/unfit group and completed a four‐arm, cross‐over design study. Participants consumed beverage and solid preloads with messages they would be liquid or solid in the stomach, when, actually they were always liquid. The oral beverage load paired with expected gastric liquid load led to higher subsequent hunger and lower fullness ratings, higher energy intake of a challenge meal and longer GI transit time compared to beverage and solid oral loads presumed to be solid in the stomach. Preliminary endocrine data reveal higher GLP‐1, lower ghrelin after oral solid loads and delayed peak CCK concentrations after oral beverage preloads. No significant treatment by fitness or adiposity effects were observed. These data demonstrate that expectations about food form alter physiological and behavioral responses associated with energy compensation. Grant Funding Source : NIH Grant #1R01DK079913