A Comparison of the Satiety Effects of a Fruit Smoothie, Its Fresh Fruit Equivalent and Other Drinks

Associations between body mass index and episodic memory for recent eating, mindful eating, and cognitive distraction: A cross-sectional study

Objectives

Eating while distracted has been associated with a higher body mass index (BMI), whereas mindful eating and episodic memory for recent eating have shown the opposite pattern. This pre-registered, global study (https://osf.io/rdjzk) compared the relative association between these variables (and four "positive controls": restraint, disinhibition, emotional eating, plate clearing) and self-reported BMI. The timing of data collection (April-May 2020) during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic enabled an investigation of the impact of stay-at-home restrictions imposed on the UK population on the measures of eating behavior.

Methods

An online survey was completed, including: (i) demographic data (e.g., self-reported BMI), (ii) Likert ratings assessing episodic memory for recent eating, mindful eating, cognitive distraction, restrained eating, emotional eating, disinhibition and plate clearing over the last 12 months and the last 7 days (during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown), and (iii) the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ).

Results

A large adult sample participated (N = 846; mean (SD) age = 33.0 (14.3) years; mean (SD) BMI = 24.6 (5.6) kg/m2). Mindful eating (MEQ-total score) was associated with a lower self-reported BMI (β = -0.12; 95% CI = -0.20, -0.04; p = 0.004), whereas disinhibited eating was associated with a higher self-reported BMI (β = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.38; p < 0.001). In UK participants (n = 520), consistent changes in eating behavior during lockdown were not found. For those that did experience change, decreases were reported in; emotional eating, disinhibited eating, focusing on taste during a meal (a measure of mindful eating), and using a smart phone while eating.

Conclusions

These findings provide evidence in a large global sample for associations between BMI and (i) mindful eating, and (ii) disinhibited eating. Future research should evaluate whether mindful eating demonstrates a prospective association with body weight and should consider mechanisms of action.

Desire to eat and intake of 'insect' containing food is increased by a written passage: The potential role of familiarity in the amelioration of novel food disgust

Over two studies we investigated the effect of various written interventions (passages) on the disgust response towards a food (falafels) which supposedly contained mealworm (insect) flour. Actually, participants (Study 1 N = 80, Study 2 N = 78) were given the same non-mealworm containing food in all conditions. Disgust was measured using: tactile sensitivity, food intake, liking and desire to eat. Results of Study 1 showed that a sustainability passage (sustainability advantages of entomophagy), but not a delicacy passage (oro-sensory qualities of insects), was effective in reducing disgust. In Study 2, contrary to prediction, a passage describing the sustainability and nutritional advantages entomophagy failed to reduce disgust - falafel intake, liking and desire to eat were decreased. However, a passage which described how mealworm flour is produced, did significantly reduce disgust. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that written passages can alter the disgust response, notably resulting in a maintenance of food intake. Interventions that increase the perception of familiarity of a novel food, but not logic-based arguments, may be a key driver of the amelioration of disgust. These results also support the suggestion that altering the ideational component of disgust can result in changes of distaste perception.

Kinetics of the carotenoid concentration degradation of smoothies and their influence on the antioxidant status of the human skin in vivo during 8 weeks of daily consumption

The antioxidant status of the skin shows constant alterations depending on nutrition and other lifestyle factors. Carotenoids can serve as marker substances for the antioxidant status of the epidermis in vivo. The carotenoid concentration of 2 homemade green smoothies and a commercial green smoothie, all containing fruits and vegetables, was assessed by resonance Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, a pilot study was conducted to investigate changes of the cutaneous carotenoid concentration of 20 healthy volunteers under the daily intake of either a homemade smoothie or the commercial smoothie in vivo using reflectance spectroscopy. We hypothesized that higher carotenoid concentrations in the homemade smoothies compared to those of the commercial one would lead to a faster increase of the cutaneous carotenoid concentration in healthy volunteers. The measurements of the homemade smoothies showed notably higher initial carotenoid concentrations (7.6 ±0.8)*10^-4arbitrary units (a.u.) (smoothie A) and (10.4 ± 0.6)*10^-4 a.u. (smoothie B) compared to the commercial smoothie (5.8 ± 0.2)*10^-4 a.u. Nevertheless, the commercial smoothie showed a higher stability of carotenoids over 24 hours. 8 weeks after daily consumption of the homemade smoothies, volunteers showed an insignificant increase of cutaneous carotenoids from (4.5 ± 0.1)*10^-4 a.u. at baseline to (4.8 ± 0.3)*10^-4 a.u. (means ± standard error of the mean). The volunteers consuming the commercial smoothie showed an insignificant increase of cutaneous carotenoids from (4.3 ± 0.2)*10^-4 a.u. to (4.7 ± 0.2)*10^-4 a.u. after 8 weeks. The observed increase of cutaneous carotenoid concentrations could be classified as a strong tendency. Fresh homemade smoothies can exhibit a higher carotenoid concentration compared to commercial smoothies but need to be consumed immediately after preparation.

Consumption of a smoothie or cereal-based breakfast: impact on thirst, hunger, appetite and subsequent dietary intake

Smoothies are a popular breakfast option. However, liquids may evoke weaker satiation than nutritionally comparable semi-solid and solid foods. This study examined consumption of cereal and milk (CM) or a nutritionally comparable fruit smoothie (FS) for breakfast on subsequent dietary behaviours, in a controlled laboratory setting. Twenty-five participants (age 25 ± 6 y) completed three trials, receiving either CM or FS for breakfast. Afterwards, participants remained isolated for 4 h with ad libitum access to foods/beverages. A repeat trial (CM or FS) allowed exploration of normal variability. Post-breakfast energy intake (EI) (CM = 1465(2436) vs. FS = 1787(3190) kJ, Median (IQR), p = 0.099), time to intake of next food/fluid (meal latency) (CM = 146(97) vs. FS = 180(100) min, p = 0.127), and subjective hunger, desire to eat, fullness and thirst ratings were similar between conditions (p's > 0.05). The mean coefficient of variation for EI and meal latency were 41% and 21%, respectively. Consumption of a FS does not negatively impact acute EI and meal latency.

Whole Fruits and Fruit Fiber Emerging Health Effects

Less than 10% of most Western populations consume adequate levels of whole fruits and dietary fiber with typical intake being about half of the recommended levels. Evidence of the beneficial health effects of consuming adequate levels of whole fruits has been steadily growing, especially regarding their bioactive fiber prebiotic effects and role in improved weight control, wellness and healthy aging. The primary aim of this narrative review article is to examine the increasing number of health benefits which are associated with the adequate intake of whole fruits, especially fruit fiber, throughout the human lifecycle. These potential health benefits include: protecting colonic gastrointestinal health (e.g., constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel diseases, and diverticular disease); promoting long-term weight management; reducing risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome; defending against colorectal and lung cancers; improving odds of successful aging; reducing the severity of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; enhancing psychological well-being and lowering the risk of depression; contributing to higher bone mineral density in children and adults; reducing risk of seborrheic dermatitis; and helping to attenuate autism spectrum disorder severity. Low whole fruit intake represents a potentially more serious global population health threat than previously recognized, especially in light of the emerging research on whole fruit and fruit fiber health benefits.