Desire to Eat and Intake of Sweet and Savory, High‐ and Low‐Calorie Foods in Male and Female Adolescents

Highly palatable, energy‐dense (ED), sweet and savory foods may contribute to the obesity epidemic by triggering desire to eat, experienced by some as an addiction‐like response. However, individual differences in appetitive responses, and their relationships with hunger level or food intake, are not well understood. Fifty‐nine 14–18 year‐olds (10 overweight M, 13 overweight F, 23 lean M, 13 lean F) from the Baltimore, MD area, attended two study visits, both of which involved consuming a meal‐replacement drink (474 ml, 480 kcal) or water (474 ml, 0 kcal) and then undergoing an fMRI scan 38±12 min later, during which they viewed pictures of different foods and reported their desire to eat each one. Following the scan, participants were allowed to eat ad libitum from a multi‐item dinner meal. Examples of high‐ED food pictures and buffet items were: chips (savory) and ice cream (sweet); examples of low‐ED food pictures and buffet items were: vegetable pieces (savory) and fruit (sweet). Analyses revealed that males reported desiring high‐ED, both sweet and savory, foods more than did females, in the fed condition only, with no sex differences emerging for high‐ED foods in the fasted condition, or for low‐ED foods in either condition. Males and females consumed equal amounts of high‐ED, sweet and savory, foods in both conditions. In both conditions, overweight adolescents reported desiring high‐ED, both sweet and savory, foods less than did lean adolescents, with no weight group differences for low‐ED foods. Lean and overweight adolescents consumed equal amounts of high‐ED, sweet and savory, foods across both conditions. Participants reported desiring high‐ED, both sweet and savory, and low‐ED, savory only, foods more when fasted than when fed. Participants consumed more high‐ED, both sweet and savory, foods when fasted than when fed, and consumed more low‐ED, both sweet and savory, foods when fed than when fasted. There were no sex differences in modulation of intake by fasted/fed condition. Males' desire to eat savory high‐ED foods was negatively correlated with savory high‐ED food intake (r=−.504, p=.009), but only in the fasted condition (r=−.537, p=.005); there were no correlations between desire and intake emerging for the other food categories in either condition. Our results suggest that adolescent reports of desire to eat certain foods and/or subsequent food intake depend on hunger state consistently across sex and weight groups. However, overweight and female participants may under‐report desire to eat certain foods due to social desirability bias. Further research should explore potential sex differences in appetitive responses and how they translate into actual intake. Support or Funding Information Research was funded by an R00 National Institute of Diabetes & Digestion & Kidney Disease grant.