Valoración de las sensaciones de apetito, hambre y saciedad mediante la utilización de sustitutivos de comidas (barritas). Ensayo aleatorizado, abierto y cruzado

Abstract

Introduction

There is a clear lack of information regarding the relation between the consumption of meal substitutes and the regulation of the satiation and hunger mechanisms.

Objective

To examine five aspects related with the appetite, hunger and satiation after eating meal substitute bars or a normocaloric meal established by a Dietician-Nutritionist using a validated visual scale (Visual Analogue Scale [VAS]).

Methods

A randomized, open crossed test lasting 6 days on 20 adults who are not elite athletes, who have no obesity, diabetes or other metabolic pathologies. A normocaloric diet was established for the volunteers, which they followed for the days the protocol lasted, and they were asked to do no sports during those days. On the third day, the meal was substituted by meal substitutes in one group (group A) and not in the other (group B), chosen at random, and aspects to do with the appetite, hunger and satiation were assessed in both groups. The assessment was carried out one hour before the meal and after it, plus three times more coinciding with the following three hours after the ingestion (i.e. a total of five times). From then on, the volunteers continued with the originally established diet for another two days, and, on the third day, the five aspects mentioned were assessed again, but this time by crossing the treatment groups, i.e. the group which was not given substitute bars the first time (group B) took them.

Results

In the Visual Analogue Scales analysed, no statistically significant differences were seen with regards to feelings of appetite, hunger and satiation in each of the treatment groups. Neither were statistically significant differences found with respect to the treatment groups and the value of the VAS scales in each of the times observed, except at the moment 0 (just after eating), for the assessment of the desire to eat something fatty, salty, sweet or tasty, where the substitutes seemed to curb this desire more efficiently.

Conclusions

The meal substitutes offered the same sensation of appetite, hunger and satiation as a balanced normocaloric meal, in spite of providing a considerably lower amount of calories and dietetic fibre. Just after a meal, the group which had eaten meal substitutes had less desire to eat something fatty, salty, sweet or tasty. More studies with a larger number of volunteers and which last longer are required to draw final conclusions.