Pre- and Post-restriction Chocolate Candy Consumption

Effect of Three-Week Chocolate Candy Restriction on Pre- and Post-restriction Chocolate Candy Consumption in Healthy Adults

Craving differs from hunger because it occurs even when a person is in a satiated state and in the absence of an energy deficit. Craving is usually triggered by specific foods and may be attributable to certain sensory properties of foods. Foods that are craved are often regarded as less healthy choices, and are higher in energy content. Chocolate is one of the most commonly reported foods craved by people in this country. Together, craving for chocolate has been suggested to be a possible cause of weight gain and access to chocolate therefore needs to be restricted.

However, it remains unknown if restriction may induce maladaptive eating behaviors of chocolate cravers. The anticipation of going on a diet has been shown to cause restrained and disinhibited eaters to react by consuming more chocolate. In this study, we will examine if this response is also found in chocolate cravers when they are asked to undergo three weeks of chocolate restriction. This study will also examine chocolate cravers' response after the chocolate restriction is lifted. We hypothesize that chocolate consumption of cravers will increase both before and after chocolate restriction is imposed. We also hypothesize that chocolate craving is specific to the food rather than its sweet taste, and that chocolate cravers are less willing to substitute chocolate for salty snacks, natural snacks, and sweet non-chocolate snacks during the restriction.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Investigate the Maladaptive Eating Behaviors of Normal Healthy Adults
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Snack Condition Specification

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Indiana
    • West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, 47906
      • Purdue University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Sixty adult participants (age 18-60 years) who are regular chocolate candy eaters (> 4 times/week, at least 1 serving each time) are needed to complete this study. Additional eligible criteria include:

• Subjects high and low in restraint/disinhibition based on TFEQ
• BMI between 18-35
• American born, or have lived in United States for majority of life, as different cultures have been shown to have lower chocolate preferences and consumption.
• Snack on a regular basis
• No allergies to test foods
• Not taking medications that affect appetite or metabolism
• Willing to comply to study protocol and to eat test meals
• Consume chocolate, or chocolate candies more than 4 times per week

Exclusion Criteria:

• If a participant does not fit the above requirements, they will be excluded from participating in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

6

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Other: Chocolate pre-restriction	Other: Snack Condition Specification; Individuals recieve a different snack for every week of the study. This is viewed as 4 phases. Phase 1 measures of habitual chocolate candy consumption (1 week), Phase 2 assesses participants' chocolate consumption while anticipating an oncoming chocolate candy restriction (1 week), Phase 3 is the total chocolate candy restriction period, but participants will be given 3 non-chocolate-candy snack substitutes in a random order (1 week per snack type, 3 weeks total), and Phase 4 examines participants' chocolate candy consumption when the 3-week restriction is lifted (1 week).; Other Names: Generic Branded Snack Foods (commerically available)
Other: Chocolate Baseline	Other: Snack Condition Specification; Individuals recieve a different snack for every week of the study. This is viewed as 4 phases. Phase 1 measures of habitual chocolate candy consumption (1 week), Phase 2 assesses participants' chocolate consumption while anticipating an oncoming chocolate candy restriction (1 week), Phase 3 is the total chocolate candy restriction period, but participants will be given 3 non-chocolate-candy snack substitutes in a random order (1 week per snack type, 3 weeks total), and Phase 4 examines participants' chocolate candy consumption when the 3-week restriction is lifted (1 week).; Other Names: Generic Branded Snack Foods (commerically available)
Other: Chocolate post-restriction	Other: Snack Condition Specification; Individuals recieve a different snack for every week of the study. This is viewed as 4 phases. Phase 1 measures of habitual chocolate candy consumption (1 week), Phase 2 assesses participants' chocolate consumption while anticipating an oncoming chocolate candy restriction (1 week), Phase 3 is the total chocolate candy restriction period, but participants will be given 3 non-chocolate-candy snack substitutes in a random order (1 week per snack type, 3 weeks total), and Phase 4 examines participants' chocolate candy consumption when the 3-week restriction is lifted (1 week).; Other Names: Generic Branded Snack Foods (commerically available)
Other: Salty Snacks	Other: Snack Condition Specification; Individuals recieve a different snack for every week of the study. This is viewed as 4 phases. Phase 1 measures of habitual chocolate candy consumption (1 week), Phase 2 assesses participants' chocolate consumption while anticipating an oncoming chocolate candy restriction (1 week), Phase 3 is the total chocolate candy restriction period, but participants will be given 3 non-chocolate-candy snack substitutes in a random order (1 week per snack type, 3 weeks total), and Phase 4 examines participants' chocolate candy consumption when the 3-week restriction is lifted (1 week).; Other Names: Generic Branded Snack Foods (commerically available)
Other: Sweet Non-Chocolate Snacks	Other: Snack Condition Specification; Individuals recieve a different snack for every week of the study. This is viewed as 4 phases. Phase 1 measures of habitual chocolate candy consumption (1 week), Phase 2 assesses participants' chocolate consumption while anticipating an oncoming chocolate candy restriction (1 week), Phase 3 is the total chocolate candy restriction period, but participants will be given 3 non-chocolate-candy snack substitutes in a random order (1 week per snack type, 3 weeks total), and Phase 4 examines participants' chocolate candy consumption when the 3-week restriction is lifted (1 week).; Other Names: Generic Branded Snack Foods (commerically available)
Other: Dried Fruit	Other: Snack Condition Specification; Individuals recieve a different snack for every week of the study. This is viewed as 4 phases. Phase 1 measures of habitual chocolate candy consumption (1 week), Phase 2 assesses participants' chocolate consumption while anticipating an oncoming chocolate candy restriction (1 week), Phase 3 is the total chocolate candy restriction period, but participants will be given 3 non-chocolate-candy snack substitutes in a random order (1 week per snack type, 3 weeks total), and Phase 4 examines participants' chocolate candy consumption when the 3-week restriction is lifted (1 week).; Other Names: Generic Branded Snack Foods (commerically available)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Intake in kcal	The primary objective of this study is to investigate the anticipatory- (before) and reactive-responses (after) of regular chocolate candy consumers to a three-week total chocolate candy restriction.	over one week at baseline and another week after chocolate restriction

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Snack and Craving Preference	A secondary objective of this study is to examine if the observed responses before and after chocolate candy restriction can be predicted by participants' personality, ingestive behavior and food craving status. Providing different snacks to the participants during the restriction period will allow us to determine if craving is specific to specific foods, in the case of this study, chocolate. Cravings will be measured three times per week for six weeks.	6 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Purdue University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Richard D Mattes, PhD, Purdue University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: March 1, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): May 1, 2015

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 15, 2013
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 5, 2013
• First Posted (Estimated): December 6, 2013

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 15, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 11, 2023
• Last Verified: December 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 055-037; 0911008653 (Registry Identifier: Purdue University)