Caloric, but not macronutrient, compensation by humans for required-eating occasions with meals and snack varying in fat and carbohydrate

Abstract

Six subjects participated in a residential study assessing the effects of covert macronutrient and energy manipulations during three required-eating occasions (breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack) on total macronutrient and energy intakes. Overall, energy content of the occasions varied between ≈ 3000 and ≈ 7000 kJ (≈700 and ≈1700 kcal) with the majority of the differential derived from either fat or carbohydrate (CHO). Each condition (high, medium, and low fat; high, medium, and low CHO; and no required eating) was examined for 2 d. Subjects compensated for the energy content of the required occasions such that only under the low-CHO condition (11 297 ± 3314 kJ) was total daily energy intake lower than that observed in the absence of required occasions (13 297 ± 1356 kJ). Only total energy intake under the high-fat condition (12 326 ± 2548 kJ) was significantly different from its matched CHO condition (high-CHO condition: 14665 ± 2686 kJ). In contrast to the clear evidence for caloric compensation, there were no differential effects of condition on macronutrient intake, ie, there was no macronutrient compensation.