Diet, health and Disease
Background
Promoting satiation and prolonging satiety are potentially important factors for weight maintenance and also for managing overweight and obesity. One action the food industry can take is to develop new products that can help the consumer control energy intake. A thorough understanding of how to demonstrate the benefit of enhanced satiety via robust methodologies and appropriate behavioral and physiological measures are key to scientifically substantiating appetite-related claims.
Objectives
The objective of the revised remit of the task force is to establish the scientific basis for strategies to achieve a healthy energy balance, and how these can be brought to consumers through responsible, effective commercial innovation and communication.
The Eating Behaviour and Energy Balance Task Force aims to:
- Raise awareness and understanding of the physiological and behavioural determinants of energy balance, including appetite control and energy utilisation;
- Establish how healthy scenarios of energy balance can best be achieved in practice, based on current science;
- Identify where the science base can be leveraged by food industry to help consumers, through product-related innovation and communication;
- Promote high standards and capabilities for substantiation and responsible communication through product claims.
Impact
The task force is assessing the evidence for the potential benefits of enhanced satiety, not only for all aspects of weight management but also benefits associated with daily well-being. This work should help support the scientific credibility and substantiation of satiety and appetite-related health claims.
In March 2010 the following two papers were published in Obesity Reviews (Vol11,2010):
- ‘Appetite control: methodological aspects of the evaluation of foods’ (Blundell J, et al. p 251-270)
- ‘Gastrointestinal targets of appetite regulation in humans’ (Delzenne N, et al. p 234-250)
The first paper demonstrates how and what to measure in terms of scientifically demonstrating satiety. The second paper investigates whether gut (satiety/hunger) hormones can be used to substantiate or support appetite-related health claims.
Activities
Workshop on Satiety and Appetite Control Claims: Scientific substantiation, consumer benefits and understanding
The primary goal of this workshop is to raise external awareness and recognition of the results and especially implications of the work relating to the methodology and consumer benefits of satiety effects of foods, and consumer understanding of the related claims, that has been supported by the ILSI Eating Behaviour and Energy Balance Task Force through 2012.
The meeting will take place in Brussels in end 2012. It will highlight the current state of science in these areas, and seek to identify where consensus is developing, as well as remaining uncertainties and the research activities that could help to resolve these.
Satiety Claims: What do consumers really think?
This activity aims to fill a gap in authoritative, independent and objective evidence on consumer understanding of satiety-related claims. It will be carried out jointly with the Consumer Science Task Force.
The aim of the activity is to directly address the issue with empirical data. Therefore, the study design involves direct collaboration with the Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Group of the Wageningen University.
Benefits of Satiety to the Consumer: Scientific Considerations
The expert group produced an authoritative inventory and evaluation of the evidence for the consumer benefits of enhanced satiety and appetite control. This should provide understanding on the relationship between changes in appetite and for example:
- Compliance and efficacy with weight loss and control efforts;
- Coping with feelings of hunger or food deprivation;
- Sustained acceptance of lower energy foods and diets.
The sources of evidence will not necessarily be homogenous and, to date, there has not been an attempt to pull together these disparate strands. As such, this pre-competitive research will provide much needed insight in additional factors impacting short-term appetite management like pleasure, cognition, looking/feeling good, reduction of hunger.
Psychological and behavioural processes, such as habit, learning and adaptation, can also shed light on how these elements can contribute to long-term weight management.
This innovative approach demanded strong collaboration with experts from diverse disciplines. The output will be a comprehensive and unique review article that provides the basis for understanding the potential role of appetite control as a consumer and health benefit.
Dr Clare Lawton, University of Leeds (UK) and Prof Louise Dye, University of Leeds (UK) presented the outcomes of this expert group at the ILSI Europe session on ‘Food Consumption and Public Health’ held at the 11th European Nutrition Conference (FENS) on 26-29 October 2011, in Madrid, Spain.
The paper of the expert group was re-submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Task Force Collaborators
Members 2012
Dr. Toine Hulshof - Chair - |
Kellogg Europe |
NL |
Dr. David Mela - Co-chair - |
Unilever |
NL |
| |
|
|
Dr. Douwina Bosscher |
Cargill |
BE |
Ms. Denisse Colindres-Duron |
Puratos Group |
BE |
Dr. Karen Cunningham |
Coca-Cola Europe |
UK |
Dr. Alfrun Erkner |
Nestlé |
CH |
Dr. Anne Lluch |
Danone |
FR |
Dr. Diederick Meyer |
Sensus |
NL |
Dr. Kathleen Terpend |
Nexira |
FR |
Dr. Kirsti Tiihonen |
DuPont Nutrition Biosciences |
FI |
Dr. Sophie Vinoy |
Kraft Foods Europe |
FR |
| |
|
|
Ms. Athanasia Baka |
ILSI Europe |
BE |
Mr. Frederic Timmermans |
ILSI Europe |
BE |
Expert Group on Satiety Claims: What do consumers really think?
Prof. Hans van Trijp - Chair - |
Wageningen University |
NL |
| |
|
|
Ms. Els Bilman |
Wageningen University |
NL |
Dr. Toine Hulshof |
Kellogg Europe |
NL |
Dr. David Mela |
Unilever |
NL |
Dr. Ellen van Kleef |
Wageningen University |
NL |
| |
|
|
Ms. Athanasia Baka |
ILSI Europe |
BE |
Expert Group on Benefits of Satiety to the Consumer: Scientific Considerations
Prof. Marion Hetherington - Chair - |
University of Leeds |
UK |
| |
|
|
Dr. Erin Alexander |
Nestlé |
CH |
Ms. Agathe Arlotti |
Kraft Foods Europe |
FR |
Dr. Karen Cunningham |
Coca-Cola Europe |
UK |
Prof. Louise Dye |
University of Leeds |
UK |
Dr. Leigh Gibson |
Roehampton University |
UK |
Dr. Nikolaj Ture Gregersen |
University of Copenhagen |
DK |
Dr. Jason Halford |
University of Liverpool |
UK |
Dr. Toine Hulshof |
Kellogg Europe |
NL |
Dr. Clare Lawton |
University of Leeds |
UK |
Dr. Anne Lluch |
Danone |
FR |
Dr. David Mela |
Unilever |
NL |
Prof. Hans van Trijp |
Wageningen University |
NL |
| |
|
|
Ms. Athanasia Baka |
ILSI Europe |
BE |