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Abstract
The increase in the prevalence of obesity has coincided with an increase in portion
sizes of foods both inside and outside the home, suggesting that larger portions may
play a role in the obesity epidemic. Although it will be difficult to establish a
causal relationship between increasing portion size and obesity, data indicate that
portion size does influence energy intake. Several well-controlled, laboratory-based
studies have shown that providing older children and adults with larger food portions
can lead to significant increases in energy intake. This effect has been demonstrated
for snacks and a variety of single meals and shown to persist over a 2-d period. Despite
increases in intake, individuals presented with large portions generally do not report
or respond to increased levels of fullness, suggesting that hunger and satiety signals
are ignored or overridden. One strategy to address the effect of portion size is decreasing
the energy density (kilojoules per gram; kilocalories per gram) of foods. Several
studies have demonstrated that eating low-energy-dense foods (such as fruits, vegetables,
and soups) maintains satiety while reducing energy intake. In a clinical trial, advising
individuals to eat portions of low-energy-dense foods was a more successful weight
loss strategy than fat reduction coupled with restriction of portion sizes. Eating
satisfying portions of low-energy-dense foods can help to enhance satiety and control
hunger while restricting energy intake for weight management.