Eating Frequency Study

NCT01731522 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: MTRI-Basic EF Study
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 20
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of two Eating Frequency prescriptions, meal (energy intake occurring during three meals per day) and grazing (energy intake occurring every two to three hours per day), on consumption during an ad libitum meal consumed at the end of the day, overall daily energy intake, and ratio of energy intake to energy expenditure. It is hypothesized that the grazing condition will produce lower consumption during an evening ad libitum meal, lower daily energy intake, and a lower ratio of energy intake to energy expenditure than the meal condition.

Conditions

Eating Frequency

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Total grams of ad libitum meal consumed

  The foods that will be used in this investigation are Tyson Chicken Breast Tenders, Ore-Ida Tater Tots, Birds Eye Steamfresh Pure \& Simple green beans, and Sarah Lee Butter Pound Cake. Participants will be provided with ad libitum amounts of the foods, and the foods will be measured in grams to the tenth decimal point on an electronic food scale (Denver Instrument Co., Arvada, CO) before and after the meal. The weight of the container will also be measured. Total grams of each food consumed during the session will be determined by subtracting pre- and post-consumption weight of food.

  1 year

Study Arms (1)

EF condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: EF condition

Interventions

EF condition BEHAVIORAL

Also known as: Grazing, Three meal

EF condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 35 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• age between 18 and 35 years
• body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2
• no history of overweight or obesity
• unrestrained eater (\<12 on Three Factor Eating Questionnaire \[TFEQ\])
• regularly participate in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intense physical activity per week over the previous 4 weeks

You may not qualify if:

• currently taking medication that affects appetite or food intake
• have a medical condition affecting eating or currently following a therapeutic diet
• are currently participating in a weight loss program and/or taking weight loss medication
• have gained or lost \> 5% of body weight during the past 6 months
• diagnosed with type 1 or 2 diabetes
• have had bariatric surgery
• report disliking foods used in the investigation (scoring a 1 or 2 on a 5-point Likert scale)
• report having allergies to foods used in the investigation
• currently smoke
• report binge eating
• are graduate students in the Department of Nutrition
• are pregnant, lactating, \< 6 months post-partum.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville: lead

Study Sites (1)

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996-1920, United States

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2012
• First Posted: November 21, 2012
• Study Start: December 1, 2012
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2018
• Study Completion: December 31, 2025
• Last Updated: June 9, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-06

Locations

US (1)