A Pilot Laboratory Study Investigating How Physical Tasks and Hunger Affect Taste Perception

This one time pilot laboratory study focuses on examining the relationship between different types of physical tasks and taste perception of high and low-calorie foods among hungry individuals.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Food Consumption; Perseverance
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Cookies; Behavioral: No physical task; Other: Vegetables; Behavioral: Simple physical task; Behavioral: Complex physical task

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Rhode Island
    • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02903
      • Recruiting
      • The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center
      • Sub-Investigator: Rena R Wing, PhD
      • Contact: Xiaomeng Xu, PhD; Phone Number: 401-793-8237; Email: xxu1@lifespan.org
      • Contact: Tricia Leahey, PhD; Phone Number: 401-793-8947; Email: tleahey@lifespan.org
      • Principal Investigator: Xiaomeng Xu, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Tricia M Leahey, PhD
      • Sub-Investigator: Katherine Boguszewski, BA

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Willing to travel to laboratory around lunchtime for the study
• Willing to abstain from eating and drinking caloric beverages for at least 4 hours prior to completing the study
• Typically eats lunch

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diabetes, eating disorder, or any other condition that makes it unadvisable for participant to refrain from eating or drinking caloric beverages for 4 hours.
• Food allergies that would prevent participants from eating chocolate chip cookies or vegetables
• Pregnant or lactating
• Typically goes for longer than 5 hours (not counting sleep time) between meals and snacks
• Physical disabilities that would make it difficult for the participant to walk or to use their hands to grasp objects

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: No physical task + Taste cookies; Participants in this arm do not engage in a physical activity task. They are asked to taste test chocolate chip cookies.	Other: Cookies; Participants are asked to taste test chocolate chip cookies; Behavioral: No physical task; As a control, for 2 of the arms, participants are not asked to engage in a physical task
Active Comparator: No physical task + Taste vegetable; Participant does not complete a physical activity. Asked to taste test raw celery or radishes.	Behavioral: No physical task; As a control, for 2 of the arms, participants are not asked to engage in a physical task; Other: Vegetables; Participants are asked to taste test raw celery or radishes
Active Comparator: Simple physical task + Taste vegetables; Participants are asked to complete a simple physical task and are asked to taste test raw celery or radishes.	Other: Vegetables; Participants are asked to taste test raw celery or radishes; Behavioral: Simple physical task; Participants are asked to complete a 1-time simple physical task that is not challenging nor novel (moving small objects across a room).
Active Comparator: Complex physical task + Taste vegetables; Participants complete a more complex physical task that is novel and challenging. They are asked to taste test raw celery or radishes.	Other: Vegetables; Participants are asked to taste test raw celery or radishes; Behavioral: Complex physical task; Participants are asked to complete a 1-time physical task that is low intensity but somewhat complex (involves a novel request to move objects in a way that is challenging and requires some coordination).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
physical perseverance	as measured via maintained grip using a hand dynamometer on the dominant hand and set to 70% of participant's maximum grip strength	1 hour

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
food preference	Food preference measured via participant's reported ratings after tasting different food.	1 hour
Amount of food eaten	Amount of food that participants eat will be measured via a food scale at the end of the study.	1 hour
Mood	Participant's subjective mood will be measured using a mood questionnaire (PANAS).	1 hour

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The Miriam Hospital
• Collaborators: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Xiaomeng Xu, PhD, The Miriam Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Anticipated): August 1, 2013

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 19, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 26, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): January 1, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): January 1, 2013
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 26, 2012
• Last Verified: December 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: hunger; taste test; food consumption
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2T32HL076134-06XX (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract); 2T32HL076134-06 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)