Is reduction in appetite beneficial for body weight management in thecontext of overweight and obesity? Yes, according to the SATIN (SatietyInnovation) study

Abstract

New dietary-based concepts are needed for treatment and effective prevention of overweight and obesity. The primary objective was to investigate ifreductionin appetite is associated with improved weight loss maintenance. This cohort study was nested within the European Commission project Satiety Innovation(SATIN). Participants achieving≥8% weight loss during an initial 8-week low-energy formula diet were included in a 12-week randomised double-blind parallelweight loss maintenance intervention. The intervention included food products designed to reduce appetite or matching controls along with instructions tofollow national dietary guidelines. Appetite was assessed byad libitumenergy intake and self-reported appetite evaluations using visual analogue scales duringstandardised appetite probe days. These were evaluated at thefirst day of the maintenance period compared with baseline (acute effects after a single exposureof intervention products) and post-maintenance compared with baseline (sustained effects after repeated exposures of intervention products) regardless ofrandomisation. A total of 181 participants (forty-seven men and 134 women) completed the study. Sustained reduction in 24-h energy intake was associatedwith improved weight loss maintenance (R0·37;P=0·001), whereas the association was not found acutely (P=0·91). Suppression in self-reported appetitewas associated with improved weight loss maintenance both acutely (R−0·32;P=0·033) and sustained (R−0·33;P=0·042). Reduction in appetite seems tobe associated with improved body weight management, making appetite-reducing food products an interesting strategy for dietary-based concepts.