Eating Disinhibition and Vagal Tone and the Postprandial Response to Glycaemic Load

Swansea University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hunger

Treatments: Dietary Supplement: Glucose; Dietary Supplement: Sweetened water; Dietary Supplement: Isomaltulose

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02827318

DisGL

Details and patient eligibility

About

Reducing the glycaemic load (GL) of the diet may benefit appetite control but its utility is complicated by psychological influences on eating. Disinhibited behaviour, a risk factor for overconsumption, is characterized by reduced prefrontal cortex activity, which in turn directly modulates vagal tone; a phenomenon inversely associated with blood glucose (BG) and insulin levels. This double blind randomised controlled trial explores the influence of disinhibited eating and vagal tone (heart rate variability) on the postprandial response to GL and hunger.

Full description

There is growing recognition that lowering the glycaemic load of the diet might reduce a range of cardiovascular risk factors such as raised plasma triglycerides, HbA1c and C reactive protein and aid in body weight regulation. A proposed mechanism includes higher satiety and prolonged satiation by virtue of improved postprandial metabolic control, although, whether lower GL meals result in greater weight loss or increased satiety is still a matter of debate. One matter complicating the issue is that the desire to consume food may be driven by psychological factors; food reward centres in the brain may override hormonal regulation of food intake. Amongst psychological factors disinhibition has the largest and most consistent body of empirical data that associates it with weight gain although the mechanisms involved are unknown. This study will investigate whether, irrespective of BMI or habitual diet, disinhibited eaters have greater glycaemic excursions following a high glycaemic load drink and whether this predicts subsequent satiation.

Enrollment: 66 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 18 to 30 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Young healthy adults who scored either high or low on the Three factor eating questionnaire disinhibition subscale

Exclusion criteria

Participants were excluded if they

• had a cardiovascular or metabolic disorder
• gastrointestinal problems
• were pregnant
• had a current diagnosis of a mood or eating disorder
• and/or were taking medications or herbal supplements to manage body weight or control appetite

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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66 participants in 3 patient groups, including a placebo group

75g glucose

Active Comparator group

Description:

75g of glucose dissolved in 500ml provided in a clear plastic tumbler.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Glucose

75g isomaltulose

Experimental group

Description:

75g of isomaltulose dissolved in 500ml provided in a clear plastic tumbler.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Isomaltulose

Sweetened water

Placebo Comparator group

Description:

500ml water sweetened with sucralose provided in a clear plastic tumbler.

Treatment:

Dietary Supplement: Sweetened water