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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Postprandial thermogenesis and alimentary sensory stimulation in human subjects

subject

description

OBJECTIVE: To study the role of alimentary sensory stimulation on the thermic effect of food. SUBJECTS: Nine male healthy volunteers (age: 20-34y, body mass index (BMI): 17.4-25.3 kg/m 2 ). DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: Four experimental situations were investigated on different days. Subjects: 1) ate a four course meal containing 2582kJ (meal), 2) saw, smelt and tasted the same courses (alimentary sensory stimulation), 3) saw, smelt and tasted non-alimentary substances (non-alimentary sensory stimulation), 4) received directly into the stomach the previous meal (tube feeding). Energy expenditure (EE) was measured over a 20 min rest period, then for 110 min. RESULTS: The changes over midday rest EE were: meal = + 12.0%; alimentary sensory stimulation = + 3.2%; non-alimentary sensory stimulation = -2.6%; tube feeding = + 5.7%. The increase in EE was higher after the meal than after either alimentary sensory stimulation (P <0.01 ) or tube feeding (P <0.01 ); the increases after the last two were, in turn, greater than after non-alimentary sensory stimulation (P <0.05). Only after alimentary sensory stimulation, was the increment in EE significantly correlated with BMI (r = -0.700; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The early phase of postprandial thermogenesis therefore depends on both sensory and metabolic events. Furthermore, the sensory component was more pronounced in the lean subjects.