Comparison of Calorie Intake and Satiety Rate by Different Energy Density Level of Kimbab

Chang, Un Jae; Jun, Seung Chol; Park, Hyo Jung; Hong, In Sun; Jung, Eun Young

Abstract

We attempted to determine whether energy density would influence calorie intake via cognitive cues, as reflected by satiety. This experiment was designed using two different energy density levels of Kimbab: normal Kimbab (1.6 kcal/g) vs low-density Kimbab (1.0 kcal/g). 26 female college students participated in this study. The subjects ate Kimbab in the lab once a week for 2 weeks. Each week at noon, they were served 24 units of either normal or low-density Kimbab, and we determined the units, grams, and calories of the real & cognitive intake of Kimbab, and also analyzed the satiety rate after eating Kimbab. Our results demonstrated that the real calorie intake from the low-density Kimbab was significantly lower than that of the normal Kimbab (290.3 kcal vs 474.4 kcal, p<0.001), but we noted no significant differences in the units and grams of real and cognitive intake between the normal and low-density Kimbab. However, despite consuming 39% lower caloric intake, the subjects reported similar levels of satiety rates with the two different density levels of Kimbab, as they did not perceive themselves to have eaten more normal Kimbab than low-density Kimbab. Thus, this study provides evidence that the energy density of food is a crucial determinant of caloric intake, and supports the notion that the consumption of low energy-dense foods may result in a reduction of caloric intake without altering satiety.