Odor–Taste–Texture Interactions as a Promising Strategy to Tackle Adolescent Overweight

The adolescence period is characterized by a considerable risk to weight gain due to the high consumption of food rich in sugar. A promising strategy to reduce sugar consumption may lie in exploiting the ability of our senses to interact to each other (cross-modal interactions). The aims were to investigate the cross-modal interactions and gustatory function in normal-weight and overweight adolescents. Fifty adolescents (25 overweight and 25 normal-weight) were involved. Subjects rated liking and attribute intensity in pudding samples obtained by adding vanilla aroma (0.1%; 0.3%), butter aroma (0.05%; 0.1%) or a thickener agent (1%; 1.5%) to a base formulation. The gustatory function was also measured through the “taste strips” methodology. Overweight adolescents were found to have a significantly (p < 0.001) worse ability to correctly identify all tastes. Cross-modal interactions occurred differently according to their body mass index, with a significant increase (p < 0.05) in sensory desirable characteristics (e.g., sweet and creaminess) due to aroma addition, especially in overweight subjects. Furthermore, butter aroma significantly increased hedonic responses only in overweight subjects. Tricking our senses in the way of perceiving sensory attributes could be a promising strategy to develop innovative food formulations with a reduced sugar amount, which will lead to a potential decrease in caloric intake and help to tackle the obesity epidemic.

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Elevated Plasma Levels of Interleukin-12p40 and Interleukin-16 in Overweight Adolescents

BioMed Research International ◽

10.1155/2015/940910 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Michael Lichtenauer ◽

Marcus Franz ◽

Michael Fritzenwanger ◽

Hans-Reiner Figulla ◽

Norbert Gerdes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care Systems ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Western World ◽

Obese Patients ◽

Elevated Plasma ◽

Childhood Adiposity ◽

Care Systems ◽

Overweight Adolescents ◽

The Individual ◽

Overweight Subjects

Introduction. Obesity during adolescence is an increasing problem for both the individual and health care systems alike. In Western world countries, childhood adiposity has reached epidemic proportions. It is known that elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines can be found in the plasma of obese patients. In this study, we sought to determine the relation between IL-12p40, IL-12p70, and Interleukin-16 (IL-16) in overweight adolescents.Materials and Methods. Seventy-nine male Caucasian adolescents aged 13–17 years were included in this study. Thirty-seven of them had a body mass index (BMI) above the 90th age-specific percentile. Il-12p40, IL-12p70, and IL-16 were measured from plasma using Luminex multiplex technology.Results. Both IL-12p40 and IL-16 concentrations were significantly increased in overweight subjects compared to normal weight controls (IL-12p40: 1086.6 pg/mL ± 31.7 pg/mL SEM versus 1228.6 pg/mL ± 43.5 pg/mL SEM; IL-16 494.0 pg/mL ± 29.4 pg/mL SEM versus 686.6 pg/mL ± 52.5 pg/mL SEM,P<0.05andP<0.01, resp.). No differences were found for IL-12p70.Conclusions. Based on these results, we believe that the increased levels of IL-12p40 and IL-16 are associated with an ongoing inflammatory response in obese individuals and could lead to the development of disease conditions related to obesity.

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Changes in Health Behaviors Associated With Weight Gain by Weight Classification During the COVID-19 Pandemic

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.1177/08901171211022958 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089011712110229

Author(s):

Kristie Rupp ◽

Ciarán P. Friel

Keyword(s):

Weight Gain ◽

Health Behaviors ◽

Weight Status ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Caloric Intake ◽

Healthy Weight ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Obesity Epidemic ◽

Logistic Regression Models ◽

Online Panels

Purpose: To determine whether perceived changes (i.e. perception of engagement during the pandemic relative to pre-pandemic) in specific health behaviors differ by weight status (i.e. healthy weight, overweight, obese). Design: Cross-sectional. Recruitment took place between June-August 2020, via social media posts and Qualtrics online panels. Setting: Participants completed the survey online through the Qualtrics platform. Sample: Analyses included N = 502 participants (≥18 years); 45.2% healthy weight (n = 227), 28.5% overweight (n = 143), and 26.3% obese (n = 132). Measures: Study-specific survey items included questions about demographics and perceived changes in health behaviors. Analysis: Logistic regression models, adjusted for age, race, ethnicity, gender, education, and COVID-19 diagnosis, assessed the odds of perceiving changes in health behaviors considered a risk for weight gain. Results: Participants with obesity, but not overweight, were significantly more likely to report deleterious changes to health behaviors compared to healthy weight peers, including: (1) decreased fruit/vegetable consumption [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.92; 95% confidence interval (CI): (1.13, 3.26)]; (2) increased processed food consumption [AOR = 1.85; 95%CI: (1.15, 3.00)]; (3) increased caloric intake [AOR = 1.66; 95% CI: (1.06, 2.61)]; (4) decreased physical activity [AOR = 2.07; 95%CI: (1.31, 3.28)]; and (5) deterioration in sleep quality [AOR = 2.07; 95%CI: (1.32, 3.25)]. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that adults with obesity may be at greater risk for unhealthy behaviors during a period of prolonged social distancing, potentially exacerbating the obesity epidemic.

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Menu Engineering and Dietary Behavior Impact on Young Adults’ Kilocalorie Choice

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13072329 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 2329

Author(s):

Christine Bergman ◽

Yuan Tian ◽

Andrew Moreo ◽

Carola Raab

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Weight Status ◽

Food Choices ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Design Stage ◽

Calorie Intake ◽

Independent Variables ◽

Menu Design ◽

The Relationship ◽

Overweight Subjects

The obesity pandemic is associated with increased consumption of restaurant food. Labeling of menus is an intervention used to provide consumers with kilocalorie (calorie) information in hopes of them making healthier food choices. This study evaluated the relationship between young adults’ calorie choices on restaurant menus and menu design, dietary behaviors, and demographic characteristics. A 3 (fast-casual restaurants) × 4 (menu-designs based on menu engineering theories) between-subjects (n = 480, 18–24-year olds) experimental design was used. The relationship between the participants’ calorie choices (high versus low) and menu design, stage of change, gender, race, educational level and weight status was evaluated using logistic regression. All independent variables had at least one category that had greater odds (CI 95% ± 5%) of subjects choosing a lower calorie entree, except education level and race/ethnic group. Normal weight and overweight subjects had greater odds of choosing lower calorie entrees than those that were obese. In addition, subjects that had started to control their calorie intake for less than six months or had sustained this change for at least six months, had greater odds of choosing lower calorie entrees compared to others. Including a green symbol and calories on fast casual restaurant menus may influence some young adults to choose lower calorie entrees.

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Physical self-concept of normal-weight and overweight adolescents: Gender specificities

Zbornik Instituta za pedagoska istrazivanja ◽

10.2298/zipi1102347l ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 347-365 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dusanka Lazarevic ◽

Snezana Radisavljevic-Janic ◽

Ivana Milanovic ◽

Ljiljana Lazarevic

Keyword(s):

Discriminant Analysis ◽

Body Mass ◽

Body Fat ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Self Concept ◽

Primary School Students ◽

School Students ◽

Overweight Adolescents ◽

The Relationship

Previous researchers have described the relation between physical self-concept and body mass in adolescents, but those relationships have not been clearly specified by gender. The purpose of this study is to explore physical self-concepts of normal-weight and over-weight Serbian adolescents with respect to gender. The sample consisted of 417 primary school students (229 boys and 188 girls) with the average age 13.6 (SD=0.73) years who were divided into normal-weight and overweight groups according to body mass index. To assess the multidimensional physical self-concept, Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) was administered. Results showed that overweight adolescents had significantly lower scores than normal-weight on all PSDQ scales except Health and Strength. Differences were greater among girls than boys. Discriminant analysis showed that the scales Body Fat, Endurance and Sports Competence best differentiated normal-weight boys from other students. Also, discriminant analysis showed that, besides the scale Body Fat, scales Flexibility, Self-Esteem, and Coordination best differentiated normal-weight girls from other students. Results indicate that for better understanding of the relationship between adolescent?s physical self-concept and body mass one must take gender into account. Results are potentially valuable for preventing overweight through physical education.

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Bad Biocitizens?: Latinos and the US "Obesity Epidemic"

Human Organization ◽

10.17730/humo.73.3.w53hh1t413038240 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 73 (3) ◽

pp. 267-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Susan Greenhalgh ◽

Megan Carney

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Personal Responsibility ◽

The United States ◽

Normal Weight ◽

The Political ◽

Structural Barriers ◽

Obesity Epidemic ◽

Us Economy ◽

The Us ◽

Let's Move

For years now, the United States has faced an "obesity epidemic" that, according to the dominant narrative, is harming the nation by worsening the health burden, raising health costs, and undermining productivity. Much of the responsibility is laid at the foot of Blacks and Latinos, who have higher levels of obesity. Latinos have provoked particular concern because of their rising numbers. Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign is now targeting Latinos. Like the national anti-obesity campaign, it locates the problem in ignorance and calls on the Latino community to "own" the issue and take personal responsibility by embracing healthier beliefs and behaviors. In this article, we argue that this dominant approach to obesity is misguided and damaging because it ignores the political-economic sources of Latino obesity and the political-moral dynamics of biocitizenship in which the issue is playing out. Drawing on two sets of ethnographic data on Latino immigrants and United States-born Latinos in southern California, we show that Latinos already "own" the obesity issue; far from being "ignorant," they are fully aware of the importance of a healthy diet, exercise, and normal weight. What prevents them from becoming properly thin, fit biocitizens are structural barriers associated with migration and assimilation into the low-wage sector of the US economy. Failure to attain the normative body has led them to internalize the identity of bad citizens, assume personal responsibility for their failure, naturalize the conditions for this failure, and feel that they deserve this fate. We argue that the blaming of minorities for the obesity epidemic constitutes a form of symbolic violence that furthers what Berlant calls the "slow death" of structurally vulnerable populations, even as it deepens their health risks by failing to address the fundamental sources of their higher weights.

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Cardiorespiratory Fitness May Influence Metabolic Inflexibility During Exercise in Obese Persons

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism ◽

10.1210/jc.2019-01225 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 104 (12) ◽

pp. 5780-5790 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Francisco J Amaro-Gahete ◽

Guillermo Sanchez-Delgado ◽

Ignacio Ara ◽

Jonatan R. Ruiz

Keyword(s):

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Lean Mass ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Whole Body ◽

Graded Exercise ◽

Obese Subjects ◽

Maximal Fat Oxidation ◽

Metabolic Inflexibility ◽

Overweight Subjects ◽

Body Lean Mass

Abstract Context We examined whether obese individuals have a reduced maximal fat oxidation (MFO) and the intensity that elicit MFO (Fatmax) compared with normal weight and overweight persons, taking into account their level of cardiorespiratory fitness. Methods The study subjects were 138 sedentary adults (87 women) aged 30.1 ± 13.6 years. Based on their body mass index, subjects were categorized as being of normal weight (n = 66), overweight (n = 48), or obese (n = 24). MFO and Fatmax were determined for all subjects by indirect calorimetry, using a walking graded exercise test. MFO was expressed in absolute terms (g/min) and relative to whole-body lean mass (mg/kgleanmass/min). Cardiorespiratory fitness was assessed via a maximal treadmill test. Results No differences in absolute MFO and Fatmax values were seen between the obese, normal weight, and overweight subjects (all P > 0.2), although after adjusting for cardiorespiratory fitness, the obese subjects returned significantly higher values than did their normal weight and overweight counterparts (all P < 0.03). However, when expressed with respect to lean mass, the MFO of the normal weight subjects was significantly greater than that of the overweight and obese subjects, independent of age, sex, or cardiorespiratory fitness. Conclusions Obese individuals have higher absolute MFO values when cardiorespiratory fitness is taken into account, but when expressed with respect to lean mass, normal weight individuals show a greater capacity to oxidize fat during exercise per unit of metabolically active tissue independent of age, sex, or cardiorespiratory fitness. These findings suggest that obese individuals may suffer from metabolic inflexibility during exercise.

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The influence of homeostatic mechanisms on neural regulation of food craving in anorexia nervosa

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291719003970 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Marion A. Stopyra ◽

Hans-Christoph Friederich ◽

Esther Mönning ◽

Nora Lavandier ◽

Martin Bendszus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Anorexia Nervosa ◽

Cognitive Control ◽

Caloric Intake ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Food Craving ◽

Glucose Load ◽

Neural Regulation ◽

Viewing Condition ◽

Cephalic Phase ◽

Specific Reactions

Abstract Background Restrictive food intake in anorexia nervosa (AN) has been related to an overactive cognitive control network inhibiting intuitive motivational responses to food stimuli. However, the influence of short-term homeostatic signaling on the neural regulation of cue-induced food craving in AN is still unclear. Methods Twenty-five women with AN and 25 matched normal-weight women were examined on two occasions after receiving either glucose or water directly into their stomach using a nasogastric tube. Participants were blinded to the type of infusion. An event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm was used to investigate the effect of intestinal glucose load on neural processing during either simple viewing or distraction from food stimuli. Results Neural differences between patients with AN and normal-weight participants were found during the distraction from food stimuli, but not during the viewing condition. When compared to controls, patients with AN displayed increased activation during food distraction in the left parietal lobule/precuneus and fusiform gyrus after water infusion and decreased activation in ventromedial prefrontal and cingulate regions after intestinal glucose load. Conclusions Independent of the cephalic phase and the awareness of caloric intake, homeostatic influences trigger disorder-specific reactions in AN. Food distraction in patients with AN is associated with either excessive higher-order cognitive control during physiological hunger or decreased internally directed attention after intestinal glucose load. These findings suggest that food distraction plays an important role in the psychopathology of AN. This study was registered on clinicaltrials.gov with identifier: NCT03075371.

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Sedentary behavior is more related with cardiovascular parameters in normal weight than overweight adolescents

Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/pubmed/fdz082 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. e215-e222 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

William R Tebar ◽

Raphael M Ritti Dias ◽

Catarina C Scarabottolo ◽

Fernanda C S Gil ◽

Bruna T C Saraiva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Public Schools ◽

Sedentary Behavior ◽

Screen Time ◽

Cell Phone ◽

Normal Weight ◽

Cardiovascular Parameters ◽

Oscillometric Device ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Overweight Adolescents

Abstract This study analyzed the relationship between sedentary behavior and cardiovascular parameters in normal weight and overweight adolescents. The sample included 449 boys and 555 girls with mean age of 13 years from public schools, which were divided into five geographical regions, with data collections performed in one selected school from each region. Sedentary behavior was assessed by screen time on TV, computer, videogame and cell phone/tablet, with good reliability in adolescents. Physical activity was assessed by Baecke’s questionnaire, validated for adolescents. Measures of body weight, height and waist circumference were collected. Adolescents were classified as overweight or normal weight by cut-off points of body mass index for age and sex. Cardiovascular parameters were evaluated by oscillometric device and heart rate by specific monitor. Computer use was positively related to systolic blood pressure (SBP) (β = 0.35; 95%CI = 0.07–0.62) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (β = 0.25; 95%CI = 0.05–0.44) in normal weight but not in overweight adolescents. Similar results were observed for cell phone/tablet in SBP (β = 0.46; 95%CI = 0.20–0.72) and DBP (β = 0.36; 95%CI = 0.18–0.54), only for normal weight. The cluster of screen time was related to SBP in normal weight (β = 0.44; 95%CI = 0.03–0.84) and overweight (β = 0.60; 95%CI = 0.01–1.19). Screen time in computer and cell phone/tablet was more related to cardiovascular parameters in normal weight than overweight adolescents.

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