Understanding the Effects of Water-related Appetite Expectancies on Caloric Intake in College Students

NCT04737629 | Withdrawn

• 1 other identifier: IRB202001347
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: N/A
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

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.

Conditions

Appetitive Behavior; Weight Loss; Water; Energy Intake

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Caloric intake

  Weighing food on digital food scale after taste test.

  Through study completion, up to 9 weeks.

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Appetite

  Through study completion, up to 9 weeks.

• Physical activity

  Assessed at baseline before any experiment administration.

• Restrained eating

  Assessed at baseline before any experiment administration.

• Habitual water intake

  Assessed at baseline before any experiment administration.

Study Arms (3)

Expectancy and Water Condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: Expectancy and Water

No Expectancy and Water Condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: No Expectancy and Water

No Water Condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: No Water

Interventions

Expectancy and Water BEHAVIORAL

In the expectancy and water condition, participants will be instructed to consume the mint herb and 500mL of water before the start of the taste test. The script for this condition will inform them of research that has shown water to decrease appetite by up to 50% (attempting to create an expectancy).

Expectancy and Water Condition

No Expectancy and Water BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be instructed to consume the mint herb and 500mL of water before the start of the taste test. The script will inform them of research that has shown water to decrease appetite by up to 50%. In this condition, however, the research team will also inform them that this herb is expected to counteract the effects of water on appetite because it decreases water retention, causing water to pass through the stomach and intestines at a faster than normal rate (attempting to create no water expectancy or nullify any pre-existing expectancy).

No Expectancy and Water Condition

No Water BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be instructed to consume the mint herb and 50mL of water before the start of the taste test. Participants will be given 100mL of water during the taste test to aid in their ability to taste and consume food, and to avoid acute thirst interfering with food consumption. Access to fluids during a taste test has been used in control conditions in similar studies. The script for this condition will inform participants of research that has shown water to decrease appetite by up to 50% but acknowledge that they will not be receiving water (thus, they should not expect an effect on appetite).

No Water Condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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

You may not qualify if:

• 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

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Florida: lead

Related Publications (9)

• Han L, You D, Zeng F, Feng X, Astell-Burt T, Duan S, Qi L. Trends in Self-perceived Weight Status, Weight Loss Attempts, and Weight Loss Strategies Among Adults in the United States, 1999-2016. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Nov 1;2(11):e1915219. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.15219.

  PMID: 31722029 BACKGROUND

• Lappalainen R, Mennen L, van Weert L, Mykkanen H. Drinking water with a meal: a simple method of coping with feelings of hunger, satiety and desire to eat. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1993 Nov;47(11):815-9.

  PMID: 8287852 BACKGROUND

• Davy BM, Dennis EA, Dengo AL, Wilson KL, Davy KP. Water consumption reduces energy intake at a breakfast meal in obese older adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 2008 Jul;108(7):1236-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.04.013.

  PMID: 18589036 BACKGROUND

• Daniels MC, Popkin BM. Impact of water intake on energy intake and weight status: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2010 Sep;68(9):505-21. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00311.x.

  PMID: 20796216 BACKGROUND

• Dennis EA, Dengo AL, Comber DL, Flack KD, Savla J, Davy KP, Davy BM. Water consumption increases weight loss during a hypocaloric diet intervention in middle-aged and older adults. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010 Feb;18(2):300-7. doi: 10.1038/oby.2009.235. Epub 2009 Aug 6.

  PMID: 19661958 BACKGROUND

• Corney RA, Sunderland C, James LJ. Immediate pre-meal water ingestion decreases voluntary food intake in lean young males. Eur J Nutr. 2016 Mar;55(2):815-819. doi: 10.1007/s00394-015-0903-4. Epub 2015 Apr 18.

  PMID: 25893719 BACKGROUND

• Stookey JJ. Negative, Null and Beneficial Effects of Drinking Water on Energy Intake, Energy Expenditure, Fat Oxidation and Weight Change in Randomized Trials: A Qualitative Review. Nutrients. 2016 Jan 2;8(1):19. doi: 10.3390/nu8010019.

  PMID: 26729162 BACKGROUND

• Madjd A, Taylor MA, Delavari A, Malekzadeh R, Macdonald IA, Farshchi HR. Effects on weight loss in adults of replacing diet beverages with water during a hypoenergetic diet: a randomized, 24-wk clinical trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Dec;102(6):1305-12. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.115.109397. Epub 2015 Nov 4.

  PMID: 26537940 BACKGROUND

• Casazza K, Brown A, Astrup A, Bertz F, Baum C, Brown MB, Dawson J, Durant N, Dutton G, Fields DA, Fontaine KR, Heymsfield S, Levitsky D, Mehta T, Menachemi N, Newby PK, Pate R, Raynor H, Rolls BJ, Sen B, Smith DL Jr, Thomas D, Wansink B, Allison DB. Weighing the Evidence of Common Beliefs in Obesity Research. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2015;55(14):2014-53. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2014.922044.

  PMID: 24950157 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Appetitive Behavior; Weight Loss

Interventions

Water

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior, Animal; Behavior; Body Weight Changes; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Hydroxides; Alkalies; Inorganic Chemicals; Anions; Ions; Electrolytes; Oxides; Oxygen Compounds

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: January 21, 2021
• First Posted: February 4, 2021
• Study Start: August 1, 2021
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2023
• Study Completion: September 1, 2023
• Last Updated: August 28, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Data will be available within 12 months following the completion of the study.
• Access Criteria: No access criteria. De-identified data will be available to anyone.