Understanding the Effects of Water-related Appetite Expectancies on Caloric Intake in College Students
- Conditions
- WaterEnergy IntakeAppetitive BehaviorWeight Loss
- Interventions
- Behavioral: No Expectancy and WaterBehavioral: Expectancy and WaterBehavioral: No Water
- Registration Number
- NCT04737629
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Florida
- Brief Summary
Consuming large volumes of water has recently been identified as a common weight loss strategy among U.S. adults. It is a widespread belief that drinking water increases feelings of satiety and reduces food intake, which could contribute to long-term weight maintenance. Many studies have shown support for this, demonstrating water's ability to reduce hunger and energy intake. In some cases, increased water consumption was associated with weight loss. However, the mechanisms of how water affects food intake have been minimally explored. There is potential that the effect of water on reduced food intake and increased satiety is due to individuals' belief that water will reduce their appetite and food intake. The question remains if water expectancy has a meaningful influence on water's ability to reduce food intake. The investigators hypothesize that participants will report less hunger and consume fewer calories when given water and an expectancy that water will affect appetite, compared to a condition when given water and do not expect water to have an effect on appetite. We further hypothesize that calorie intake will not meaningfully differ when participants are given water with no expectancies compared to when given no water. During this experiment, the investigators will vary the presence of water and manipulate expectancies about water's effects on appetite across three conditions: (1) an expectancy and water condition; (2) an expectancy and no water condition; and (3) a no expectancy and water condition. In each condition, participants will engage in a bogus taste test and complete two short cognitive tasks for distraction purposes. In an effort to prevent demand characteristics, this study involves deception. Participants will be told that the research team is interested in testing the effects of three different mint herb variations on attention, coordination, and taste perceptions. After completing the cognitive tasks and taste test, participants will have a 10 minute period to eat as much of the remaining food as they'd like. Food will be weighed before and after this period (without the participant's knowledge) in order to determine caloric intake.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- WITHDRAWN
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- Not specified
- 18 - 65 years of age
- rating at least two foods from each category (chips/crackers and sweets/candies) on the food options list for the taste test as a 7 ("like moderately") or higher on a 9-point hedonic scale
- willing/able to come to the lab for three sessions
- current smoker
- self-report of a current or past eating disorder diagnosis
- taking an appetite suppressant or stimulant medication
- currently engaged in a weight loss program
- currently pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant
- allergy to mint
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- CROSSOVER
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description No Expectancy and Water Condition No Expectancy and Water - Expectancy and Water Condition Expectancy and Water - No Water Condition No Water -
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Caloric intake Through study completion, up to 9 weeks. Weighing food on digital food scale after taste test.
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Restrained eating Assessed at baseline before any experiment administration. Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). The minimum possible score is 0 and maximum possible score is 34.5. A higher score indicates higher restrained eating symptoms (poorer outcome).
Habitual water intake Assessed at baseline before any experiment administration. As part of the baseline questionnaire, participants will be asked about how many glasses of water they drank over the past 7 days in order to assess habitual water intake. Response options range from "I did not drink water during the past 7 days" to "4 or more glasses per day."
Appetite Through study completion, up to 9 weeks. Four-question 100mm visual analog scale (VAS) assessing assesses hunger, fullness, satiety, and prospective food consumption. The minimum possible score is 0, and the maximum possible score is 100.
Physical activity Assessed at baseline before any experiment administration. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Participants are categorized into low, moderate, or high levels of physical activity. Higher score indicates more physical activity engagement (better outcome).