Women Compensate Energy More than Men Do

The consumption of caloric liquids has different effects on the short-term total energy intake in men and women, a new scientific study from the Oxford Brookes University shows.

This is the first study of its kind to compare the compensation effect of liquid calories on the short-term energy spending by gender, and it was led by PhD researcher Viren Ranawana and Professor Jeya Henry of the Functional Food Centre at Oxford Brookes University.

For this research, men and women drank orange juice from concentrate, semi-skimmed milk, a sugar-sweetened fruit drink, or a calorie-free fruit drink, an hour before lunch.

At lunchtime, each group was given a self-selection buffet, that included a variety of foods in large quantities.

After analyzing and comparing the amount of energy that the test subjects consumed, the researchers concluded that the human body detects liquid calories and compensates for at the next meal.

The men and women that had a drink containing calories before lunch, ate less energetic foods, compared to those that had a calorie-free mid-morning drink.

Nevertheless, while the average total energy intakes for men following all four beverages was similar, women had a greater energy intake, regardless of the three caloric drinks, relates AlphaGalileo.

As this study adopted a different perspective on the matter, it was capable of proving that there is a possible energy compensation dysfunction in the female body, compared to men.

“It is important to understand if the growth in caloric beverage consumption is contributing to the increased prevalence of obesity and diabetes,” said Professor Henry, of Oxford Brookes University.

“It has been suggested that sugars provided in liquid form encourage ‘passive over-consumption’ of energy from food, but this study shows that the body does compensate in the short term.

“Further research is now needed to understand the mechanisms involved and whether the body also compensates for liquid calorie consumption in the long term,” he added.