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Smaller food item sizes of snack foods influence reduced portions and caloric intake in young adults

par Marchiori, David ;Waroquier, Laurent ;Klein, Olivier
Référence Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 111, page (727-731)
Publication Publié, 2011-05-02

Article révisé par les pairs

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Résumé :

Studies considering the impact of food size variations on consumption have predominantly focused on portion size, while very little literature investigated variations in food item size, especially at snacking occasions which yielded contradictory results. This study evaluated the effect of how altering the size of food items (i.e. small vs. large candies) of equal sized food portions would affect short-term energy intake while snacking. The study used a between subjects design (n=33; spring 2008) in a randomized experiment. In a psychology laboratory (separate cubicles), participants (undergraduate psychology students, 29 of 33 female, age 20.3 ± 2 years, body mass index 21.7 ± 3.7) were offered candies to free consumption while participating in an unrelated computerized experiment. For half of them, items were cut in two to make the small food item size. Food intake (grams, kcal and number of food items) was examined using analysis of variance. Results showed that decreasing the item size of candies led participants to decrease by half their gram weight intake, resulting in an energy intake decrease of 60 kcals. Appetitive ratings, subject and food characteristics had no moderating effect. A cognitive bias could explain why people tend to consider that one unit of food (e.g. ten candies) is the appropriate amount to consume, regardless of the size of the food items in the unit. This study suggests a simple dietary strategy: decreasing food item size without having to alter portion size may reduce energy intake at snacking occasions.