Compensation for Smaller Portion Sizes and Portion Size Normality

University of Liverpool

Status: Completed

Conditions: Portion Size

Treatments: Behavioral: portion size

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03731273

Portion size normality

Details and patient eligibility

About

Reducing food portion size is a potential strategy to reduce energy intake. However it is unclear at what point consumers compensate for reductions in portion size by increasing energy intake from other items. The investigators tested the hypothesis that reductions to food portion size will only result in significant compensatory eating when the reduced portion size is no longer visually perceived as 'normal'. In two within-subjects experiments, participants (Study 1: N = 45, M BMI = 26.9; Study 2: N = 37, M BMI = 26.9; 51% female) were served different sized portions of a lunchtime meal on three occasions: a 'large-normal', a 'small-normal', and a 'smaller than normal' portion. Both the reduction from 'large-normal' to 'small-normal' and from 'small-normal' to 'smaller than normal' portions represented the same change in food volume and energy content (84g, 77kcal Study 1; 98g, 117kcal Study 2). Participants were able to serve themselves additional helpings of the same food (Study 1), or dessert items (Study 2).

Enrollment: 90 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• general liking and willingness to consume the test foods in each study

Exclusion criteria

• food allergies, intolerances or specific dietary requirements (including being vegetarian or vegan)
• a history of eating disorders;