Postprandial Effects of a Hallucinatory Meal on Appetite Regulation

University of Turin

Status: Completed

Conditions: Change in Subjective Appetite Score (VAS)

Treatments: Other: hallucinated meal; Other: Real meal

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03934580

183121

Details and patient eligibility

About

Several and complex mechanisms are involved in the regulation of appetite and food intake in humans. By means of rapid hypnosis techniques, it is possible to induce some individuals to hallucinate a meal.

The same meal (breakfast) is administered as i) a real meal and ii) is evoked as a hallucination under hypnosis in healthy postmenopausal women. The aim of this pilot randomized-controlled cross-over trial is to assess appetite sensation and the blood levels of the appetite-related hormones in the participants.

Full description

The regulation of appetite is crucial to control food intake and consequently body weight. Hypnosis has been successfully used to modulate gastrointestinal functions, by imagining eating food.

In the present pilot trial, the investigators search to investigate the effects a hallucinatory meal by hypnosis on subjective appetite and appetite hormone blood levels. Hence, two different breakfast meals are randomly administered to eight healthy postmenopausal women, in a crossover design, consisting of i) a hallucinatory breakfast meal (HB) and ii) a real breakfast meal (RB). On each test day, participants undergo baseline measurements, including appetite sensation and blood sample, then the test meal is hallucinated or served. Subjective appetite is assessed each 30 minutes for 4 hours and half, while blood samples are taken at 20', 60', 90' and 180 minutes. At the end of each session, participants are instructed to fill in a food record for the following 3-days.

Enrollment: 8 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 45 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• female gender,
• ability to develop a visual hallucination during hypnosis,
• body mass index (BMI) range 20-27 kg/m2,
• menopausal status

Exclusion criteria

• smoking,
• breakfast skipping,
• current intake of any supplements,
• current use of any drug,
• presence of any pathological conditions, including mental and eating disorders,
• any alimentary restrictions or specific diets,
• allergies or food intolerances or dislikes of the offered breakfast-meal,
• being a shift or night workers,
• unable to give a written informed consent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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8 participants in 2 patient groups

hallucinated meal

Experimental group

Description:

A breakfast meal (white bread plus ham and cheese with 250 ml still water) is hallucinated under hypnosis by participants for 15 minutes

Treatment:

Other: hallucinated meal

real meal

Active Comparator group

Description:

A real meal (white bread plus ham and cheese with 250 ml still water) is consumed by participants in 15 minutes

Treatment:

Other: Real meal