Effect of energy density on liking and on caloric adjustment conditioning after sweet beverage exposure in children aged 8-11 y

The contribution of sweet beverages to weight gain in children and adolescents is controversial. The present study was conducted to study, in 8-11 year-old children, the influence of energy conditioning on liking and on caloric adjustment after sweet beverages exposure. We also studied the stability of the conditioning effects after a period without exposure and an extinction period. Children (n = 44) were exposed to 2 flavored sweetened beverages: a high energy version (HE: 150kcal) and a no energy version (NE: 0kcal). During a 4-wk conditioning period, children were exposed either 2 or 7 times to each beverage. During a 3-wk stability period children were not exposed to any beverage. During a 4-wk extinction period, children were exposed 3 times to both beverages in which the association between the flavor and the energy density had been switched. Flavor liking and food intake during the meals following the consumption of each beverage were assessed before and after each period. After the conditioning period, the liking for both beverages increased significantly (P < 0.001). After the stability period, the liking for the HE flavor was significantly higher than that for the NE flavor (P = 0.025). After the extinction period, the liking for the flavor initially associated with the HE beverage remained higher than that for the flavor initially associated with the NE beverage (P = 0.040). Initially, energy intakes at the meal following beverage ingestion did not differ. After the conditioning period up until the end of the extinction period, children’s energy intake was lower after the consumption of the HE than the NE beverage regardless of the beverage flavor but caloric adjustment remained partial. The number of exposures influenced neither liking nor caloric adjustment. In conclusion, once the association between flavor and energy density is learned, liking is induced by the beverage flavor whereas caloric adjustment is induced by the beverage energy density.