Differential impact of consuming foods perceived to be high or low in fat on subsequent food reward

Author(s)

de Carvalho-Ferreira, Joana Pereira ^{[1, 2]} ; da Cunha, Diogo Thimoteo ^[3] ; Finlayson, Graham ^[4] ; Caldas, Gabriele ^[2] ; Jamar, Giovana ^{[1, 2]} ; Bandoni, Daniel Henrique ^[5] ; Pisani, Luciana Pellegrini ^[1] ; de Rosso, Veridiana Vera ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Biosci, Rua Silva Jardim 136, BR-11015020 Santos, SP - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Post Grad Program Foods Nutr & Hlth, Santos, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Estadual Campinas, Sch Appl Sci, Limeira, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Leeds, Sch Psychol, Leeds, W Yorkshire - England

^[5] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Hlth, Santos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: FOOD QUALITY AND PREFERENCE; v. 85, OCT 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Background: The perception that a food is `healthy' or `low fat' has been proposed as an important issue influencing eating behaviour. This study had two aims: a) to WA the perceived health value of two popular foods in Brazil and, b) to investigate the impact of consuming these foods on subsequent food reward. Individual differences in adiposity and eating behaviour traits were also explored. Methods: Twenty-four adults (36.9 +/- 9.8 years) were included (10 male, 14 female), mean Body Mass Index 27.6 +/- 4.1 kg/m2 and mean weight 77.4 +/- 14.8 kg. They attended the laboratory on two different occasions, for Perceived high-Fat {[}PHF] and perceived Low-Fat {[}PLF] conditions. Food reward was tested by the LFPQ-BR in fasted and fed states for each condition. Two popular food in Brazil were chosen to be used as WA meals and were prepared in order to be similar in terms of weight, calorie content and macronutrient composition; it was hypothesised that Coxinha {[}shredded chicken meat, covered in dough] (PHF condition) would be perceived as less healthy and higher fat content than a chicken sandwich (PLF condition). A paper-based visual analogue scale was used to confirm this hypothesis. Anthropometric measures (weight, height, neck and waist circumference) and eating behaviour traits scores (uncontrolled eating, cognitive restraint and emotional eating - TFEQ-R21) were undertaken. Results: Results showed that the two nutritionally matched foods differed on several indicators of perceived healthiness including perceived fat content. Post consumption, there was an increased implicit wanting for high-fat sweet food after the PLF meal. Exploratory analyses showed that cognitive restraint was an independent predictor for the perception of the fat content of PHF and moderated the impact of PHF on implicit wanting. Conclusion: These findings have implications for food marketing and the role of restrained eating on food perception and food reward. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/17230-7 - Hedonic mechanisms of eating behavior: translation, adaptation and validation of the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire for the Brazilian population
• Grantee: Joana Pereira de Carvalho Ferreira
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral