Hunger may be delayed and food intake reduced under metabolic conditions that spare carbohydrate oxidation, especially during oxidation of medium-chain triacylglycerols (MCTs) or monounsaturated triacylglycerols. In 12 healthy, adult, male volunteers isolated and deprived of any time cues, we compared the effects of 4 high-carbohydrate breakfasts (1670 kJ) supplemented either with a fat substitute (Sub; 70 kJ) or with 1460 kJ fat as monounsaturated long-chain triacylglycerols (LCT-U), saturated long-chain triacylglycerols (LCT-S), or MCTs. In the first session we investigated the effects of these breakfasts on the following food intake variables: hunger ratings at repeated intervals, the time until the spontaneous request for the next 2 free-choice meals, and the amount of food consumed. In a second session with fixed lunches, we studied the effects of the same breakfasts on plasma glucose, insulin, triacylglycerol, fatty acid, and beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations. The addition of any of the fats to the high-carbohydrate breakfasts did not alter hunger ratings, but significantly delayed the request for lunch compared with the low-fat breakfast. The free-choice lunch eaten after the MCT breakfast was also significantly smaller. Blood glucose and insulin concentrations were lower after the 3 fat breakfasts, followed by larger increases in glucose and enhanced insulin responses 30 min after the lunch. No differences were observed between the LCT-U and LCT-S conditions. We conclude that MCTs decreased food intake by a postabsorptive mechanism, although the exact effect of these lipids on carbohydrate oxidation will require further studies involving nutrient balance measurements.

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Accumulating evidence suggest that a good way to compare the satiety power of meals with different compositions or energy contents is to measure the onset latency of the next meal when freely requested by subjects deprived of any time cues. This study was performed in normal-weight young men (aged 19-24 y) isolated from time cues. At sessions 1 and 2, we studied the effects of two high-carbohydrate pasta lunchs with either 50 g low-energy butter substitute (lunch A) or 50 g butter (lunch B) on hunger ratings, on the latency of the dinner request, and on energy and nutrient intakes at the offered ad libitum dinner. Sessions 3 and 4 were designed to examine the effects of the two lunchs on the postlunch and predinner profiles of plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon, and lipids; consequences on the metabolic and hormonal responses to the fixed dinner offered on request also were tested. The addition of 1588 kJ butter to the pasta lunch compared with the addition of 67 kJ butter substitute had no effect on hunger ratings but significantly delayed the onset of dinner by approximately 38 min; however, neither energy intake nor nutrient intakes were different. The high-fat lunch led to a slightly different postlunch plasma glucose concentration profile but, as expected, to higher plasma triacylglycerol and fatty acid concentrations. The high-fat lunch also led to postdinner glucose intolerance with normal insulin and high fatty acid concentrations that may help explain the partial and delayed adjustment in energy intake after a high-fat meal as reported by some studies.