A microregulatory analysis of spontaneous human feeding patterns.

Thirty male and 54 female students recorded in a diary exactly when and what they ate for four consecutive days. The total energy, carbohydrate, fat and protein composition of the reported meals as well as the duration of the preceding and following intermeal intervals were determined for a variety of meal definitions by a computerized analysis. A model of stomach emptying was used in conjunction with the reported intake to predict the amount of food remaining in the stomach at the beginning and end of each meal. These factors were intercorrelated across all reported meals and averaged across subjects with simple and multiple linear regression analyses. A preprandial pattern of intake regulation was found. Premeal intermeal intervals, prior food intake and the stomach content of protein and fat but not carbohydrate were significantly correlated with the amount ingested in the subsequent meal. No evidence for a postprandial pattern of intake regulation was found. The meal size, its composition and postmeal stomach content were not found to be related to the postmeal intermeal interval. No major relationships were found between subjects sex, age, weight, height or ponderal index and the meal pattern other than that males ate significantly larger meals. These results suggest that when the natural ecological constraints on human feeding behavior are present, it is regulated by adjustments to the amount eaten in a meal rather than to the duration of the interval between meals. Furthermore, the adjustment of meal size is influenced by the amount of fat and protein remaining in the stomach at the beginning of a meal.