Conditioning ‘fullness expectations’ in a novel dessert

Calorie-for-calorie, foods differ considerably in the extent to which they are expected to deliver satiation. We sought to demonstrate that flavour–nutrient learning modifies these expectations. On day 1, participants (N = 56) tasted a novel dessert and then completed a measure of expected satiation. Participants then consumed either a low (228 kcal) or high (568 kcal) energy-dense dessert (sensory characteristics matched). On day 2, expected satiation was assessed and then intake was measured using an intermediate energy-dense dessert. Expected satiation did increase but only in the high energy-dense condition (17.4%). This difference was not reflected in a measure of intake.