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Background/Aims: Transcriptomics technology in human nutrition intervention studies would allow for genome-wide screening of the effects of nutrients. We observed the time course of gene expression changes in peripheral white blood cells (WBC) to elucidate the metabolic changes in the postprandial state that are a reflection and a marker of whole body metabolic changes. Methods: In a randomized crossover study, 7 healthy subjects consumed test meals of glucose (GL), white rice (WR) and rolled barley (BAR), each containing 75 g of available carbohydrate, and water (WAT). Blood glucose, insulin and nonesterified fatty acid concentrations, as well as the subjective levels of fullness and hunger were measured. Microarray analysis of the WBC and the real-time PCR were examined during 360 min after the intake of the test meals. Results: The number of genes that changed more than 1.5-fold and the expression patterns in the time course were different between the GL, the WR and the BAR groups. Several genes involved in glycolysis and fatty acid β-oxidation were markedly changed after the intake of the GL, the WR and the BAR; however, these genes did not change at any time point in the WAT. Conclusions: Gene expression profiling in the WBC can reflect food-related metabolic changes, even in the postprandial state.

Objective: To examine the effects of lunches with different dietary energy densities on food preferences between genders. Design: Randomized crossover study. Participants were administered the following packed test meals once weekly on a specified day during six sessions: control (150 g of rice with a sautéed beef entrée containing 40 g of raw beef and 240 g of vegetables), high-meat/low-rice, low-vegetable, medium-fat/low-vegetable, high-fat and high-fat/low-vegetable meals. Subjective levels of sensory properties were assessed over time using visual analogue scales. Setting: University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan. Subjects: Sixty-five men and sixty-five women matched by age and BMI. Results: Men showed significantly stronger desires for salty and fatty foods after meals (P < 0·05). Women showed a significantly stronger desire for sweetness from 2 h after the low-vegetable meal, and increasing fat content under highvegetable conditions caused a significant stimulated sweetness desire in women more than in men (P < 0·05). Moreover, after a high-meat/low-rice meal with 100 g of rice, sweetness desire was stronger in women (P = 0·024), whereas no significant differences in sweetness desire were shown between genders after another low-energy-density control meal with 150 g of rice.Conclusions: Men had significantly stronger desires for salty and fatty foods, whereas women preferred sweet food after meals. The sweetness desire in women was stimulated by increasing fat content, even with a high vegetable intake. Low rice intake in a low-energy-density diet also caused a relative stimulation of sweetness desire in women. Keywords Energy density Food preference Gender differencesSweetness desireNutritional strategies that can prevent weight gain are considered to be a result of controlling appetite and energy intake during normal daily life (1) . Controlled studies show that energy intake is closely associated with the energy density (ED) of the diet, which enables individuals to consume a satisfying amount of food when it is lower in ED (2-4) . Thus, reducing the ED of the total diet may be a nutritionally sound strategy for the management of body weight (5) . Many factors affecting the sensory properties of food may contribute to the effects of ED on energy intake and eating behaviour as foods are consumed (6) . Because observational studies have indicated a relationship between food consumption and intensity of food taste (7) , attention needs to be paid to the perceptions of food-related pleasantness as well as fullness and satisfaction after food intake. The brain controls eating behaviour and it responds differentially to food depending on factors such as body mass (8) , mood (9) and age (10) . Another potential factor that cannot be neglected regarding its effects on eating behaviour is the gender difference. Men and women often have different social perceptions regarding the sensory properties of food, because women pay more attention to nutrition content than men (11) . Despite numer...

In general, vegetables are abundantly consumed in a calorie-restricted diet to achieve sufficient satiety through fresh food or various cooking methods. In this study, we examined the effects of different cooking methods on appetite and specific perceptions of the food after consumption; eating approaches were also analyzed by meal duration. A total of 153 individuals aged 20-59 years were assigned to 2 groups: raw vegetable or boiled vegetable meals, including packed meals that were served as test meals with the same energy and vegetable amount. Subjective levels of sensory properties and meal duration were assessed over time using visual analog scales, including questionnaires. Results showed that meal duration was significantly longer for raw vegetable meals than boiled vegetable meals, and there were significantly stronger correlations between meal duration and fullness. A higher degree of fullness was provided by a raw vegetable meal than a boiled vegetable meal, especially in men. However, an excess of raw vegetables led to overall insufficient satisfaction. Taken together, these findings suggest that cooking methods should be altered for different situations with an adequate amount of vegetables, and the meal duration should be recommended to be given as much attention as cooking methods.

: Reducing dietary calorie density (CD) is useful in body weight management. This study investigates the association between dietary habits and preferences for different CDs. We conducted a randomized crossover study of 232 healthy subjects who consumed packed lunch boxes containing a control, high-meat and low-rice, low-vegetable, medium-fat and low-vegetable, high -fat, and high -fat and low-vegetable meals over six sessions. The subjective levels of sensory properties were assessed over time using a visual analog scale and the area under the curve. Subjects were assessed for dietary habits using a brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) and were divided into two groups based on a daily fat energy ratio 25% % (high fat [HF], n = 116) and 25% % (normal, n=116) that was matched for age, body mass index, and sex ratio. Our findings indicate that the desire for sweetness was higher in the HF group than in the normal group, regardless of the meals consumed. Particularly, among the 500-kcal low-CD meals, a high-protein meal provided greater fullness and satisfaction and lower prospective consumption in the HF group than in the normal group. Therefore, our study demonstrates that postprandial appetite sensation is associated with dietary habits of fat intake.