Children who switch between foods more frequently during meals gain more fat mass
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Key takeaways:
- Children who switched between foods more frequently during mealtimes had a higher fat mass index at 1 year.
- A greater fat mass index increase was observed for children with a family history of obesity.
DALLAS — Children who switch between foods more frequently while eating may be more likely to gain weight, according to a speaker at ObesityWeek.
In an analysis of children who were observed eating ad libitum meals with four different foods, researchers observed increases in fat mass index at 1 year among children who shifted between foods more frequently during the meals. The association was strongest among children who had a high familial risk for obesity.
“As childhood obesity rates continue to rise, understanding eating behaviors, particularly those that are obesogenic in certain contexts, is critical to develop targeted and effective interventions,” Nicholas Neuwald, MS, a PhD candidate in nutritional sciences at Penn State University, told Healio. “Our findings showing that food switching predicts long-term increases in fat mass index suggest it may be a promising target for interventions designed to reduce overconsumption.”
Researchers enrolled 73 children aged 7 to 8 years at baseline to participate in four study visits. Of the study group, 28 children had a high familial risk for obesity with a maternal BMI of more than 29 kg/m2, and 39 participants had a low familial obesity risk with a maternal BMI between 18 kg/m2 and 25 kg/m2. During four visits at baseline, children were observed by videotape as they ate ad libitum meals of chicken, pasta, grapes and broccoli of varying portion sizes. A switch was counted every time a child shifted from one food to another. The average number of switches was calculated between the four meals. DXA scans were conducted to measure fat mass at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Researchers used fat mass index to account for changes in height during the study.
The study group had a mean number of 11.4 food switches during the average meal. More frequent switching between foods was associated with an increase in fat mass index (beta = 0.02; P = .03). Each 10 additional food switches was linked to an increase of about 1 lb of fat mass for a child of average height.
For children with a high familial risk for obesity, switching foods was more strongly associated with an increase in fat mass index than children with a low familial risk for obesity (beta = 0.03; P = .03). For a child of average height and a high risk for obesity, each 10 food switches were associated with a 2 lb increase in fat mass.
“Our theoretical model is based on the idea that switching between foods delays sensory-specific satiety,” Neuwald said. “Sensory-specific satiety is the phenomenon where the palatability of eaten food declines relative to uneaten food. We suspect the dynamic sensory contrast that occurs due to switching between foods delays the development of sensory-specific satiety, thereby prolonging time to meal cessation and potentially leading to overconsumption.”
Neuwald said the research team was surprised to see robust associations with just 1 year of follow-up and future research following children over multiple years and into adulthood could be conducted to see if similar trends continue over a longer period of time. Neuwald also said a study analyzing switching to nutrient-dense foods such as fruits and vegetables could be performed to see if it changes fat mass index trends.
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Neuwald N, et al. Oral-005. Presented at: ObesityWeek; Oct. 14-17, 2023; Dallas.
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