ArticlePhysiology & behavior2023
Switching between foods: A potential behavioral phenotype of hedonic hunger and increased obesity risk in children.
Article in Physiology & behavior, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07095166 (Monitoring Eating Across Locations), which is not on this map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Monitoring Eating Across Locations (MEAL) - Timing, Intake, and Mealtime Evaluation (TIME)
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Poorer inhibitory control was related to greater food intake across meals varying in portion size: A randomized crossover trial.Appetite · 2024Trial
- Children's satiety responsiveness moderates the association between food reinforcement and eating in the absence of hunger.Physiology & behavior · 2025Article
- Food switching at a meal is positively associated with change in adiposity among children at high-familial risk for obesity.Appetite · 2025Article
- ByteTrack: a deep learning approach for bite count and bite rate detection using meal videos in children.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Eating in the Absence of Hunger Is a Stable Predictor of Adiposity Gains in Middle Childhood.The Journal of nutrition · 2024Observational
- PACE: a Novel Eating Behavior Phenotype to Assess Risk for Obesity in Middle Childhood.The Journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Switching between foods is reliably associated with intake across eating events in children.Appetite · 2024Article
- Sex-Dependent Metabolic Effects in Diet-Induced Obese Rats following Intermittent Fasting Compared with Continuous Food Restriction.Nutrients · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
contextReward-based eating is a trait that increases risk for eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) and obesity. Eating behaviors such as switching more frequently between different foods may increase intake during EAH by delaying the onset of sensory-specific satiation (SSS); however, this question has not been empirically tested.
objectives1) Test whether switching between foods mediates the relationship between reward-based eating and EAH intake. 2) Test whether switching between foods during EAH moderates the relationship between reward-based eating and weight status.
methodsData were analyzed from a study assessing decision-making in children (n = 63 children; 9.4 ± 1.4 years, 77.0 ± 22.4 BMI%tile). Reward-based eating was quantified using the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. EAH was assessed as the amount of palatable food consumed following ad libitum consumption of a standard meal. Videos of eating behavior were coded for eating time, number of different foods consumed, and food switches. Ordinary least squares regressions were conducted to test hypotheses.
resultsSwitching was positively associated with EAH intake for both kcal (p < 0.01) and grams (p < 0.01) such that each additional switch was associated with an increased intake of 17.0 kcal or 3.5 gs. Switching mediated the relationship between reward-based eating and EAH (p < 0.01) such that more frequent switching fully accounted for the positive association between reward-based eating and EAH (ps < 0.01). While reward-based eating was also positively associated with weight status (p < 0.01), this association was moderated by food switching (p < 0.01) such that the relationship was stronger for children who switch more frequently (p < 0.01).
conclusionsFrequent switching between foods was positively associated with EAH intake and mediated the relationship between reward-based eating and EAH. Moreover, reward-based eating was more strongly related to weight status in children who switched more frequently. Thus, food switching may contribute to overconsumption and be an important behavioral indicator of increased obesity risk in children. Studies across multiple meals and contexts will help determine if switching is a reliable behavioral phenotype.
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