Change in Subjective Appetite Score (VAS)
Conditions
Brief summary
Several and complex mechanisms are involved in the regulation of appetite and food intake in humans. By means of rapid hypnosis techniques, it is possible to induce some individuals to hallucinate a meal. The same meal (breakfast) is administered as i) a real meal and ii) is evoked as a hallucination under hypnosis in healthy postmenopausal women. The aim of this pilot randomized-controlled cross-over trial is to assess appetite sensation and the blood levels of the appetite-related hormones in the participants.
Detailed description
The regulation of appetite is crucial to control food intake and consequently body weight. Hypnosis has been successfully used to modulate gastrointestinal functions, by imagining eating food. In the present pilot trial, the investigators search to investigate the effects a hallucinatory meal by hypnosis on subjective appetite and appetite hormone blood levels. Hence, two different breakfast meals are randomly administered to eight healthy postmenopausal women, in a crossover design, consisting of i) a hallucinatory breakfast meal (HB) and ii) a real breakfast meal (RB). On each test day, participants undergo baseline measurements, including appetite sensation and blood sample, then the test meal is hallucinated or served. Subjective appetite is assessed each 30 minutes for 4 hours and half, while blood samples are taken at 20', 60', 90' and 180 minutes. At the end of each session, participants are instructed to fill in a food record for the following 3-days.
Interventions
OTHERhallucinated meal
a breakfast meal (white bread plus ham and cheese with 250 ml still water) is hallucinated by participants under hypnosis
OTHERReal meal
A real breakfast (white bread plus ham and cheese with 250 ml still water) is consumed by participants
Sponsors
University of Turin, Italy
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
45 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* female gender, * ability to develop a visual hallucination during hypnosis, * body mass index (BMI) range 20-27 kg/m2, * menopausal status
Exclusion criteria
* smoking, * breakfast skipping, * current intake of any supplements, * current use of any drug, * presence of any pathological conditions, including mental and eating disorders, * any alimentary restrictions or specific diets, * allergies or food intolerances or dislikes of the offered breakfast-meal, * being a shift or night workers, * unable to give a written informed consent
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in subjective appetite score (VAS) | 270 minutes | changes in subjective appetite score as measured by VAS after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes in subjective appetite score after the real meal |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in circulating concentrations of GLP-1 | 180 minutes | changes in circulating concentrations of GLP-1 after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes after the real meal |
| Changes in circulating concentrations of ghrelin | 180 minutes | changes in circulating concentrations of ghrelin after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes after the real meal |
| Changes in circulating concentrations of NPY | 180 minutes | changes in circulating concentrations of NPY after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes after the real meal |
| Changes in circulating concentrations of PYY | 180 minutes | changes in circulating concentrations of PYY after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes after the real meal |
| Changes in circulating concentrations of leptin | 180 minutes | changes in circulating concentrations of leptin after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes after the real meal |
| Changes in circulating concentrations of alpha-MSH | 180 minutes | changes in circulating concentrations of alpha-MSH after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes after the real meal |
| Changes in circulating concentrations of orexin-A | 180 minutes | changes in circulating concentrations of orexin-A after the hallucinated meal compared to the changes after the real meal |
Countries
Italy
Outcome results
None listed