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VolumeNCT02505230

Meal Presentation and Liking

A study testing Eating in people with Volume and Energy Density, run by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This study will investigate the energy consumed from an entree with high- or low-volume vegetables incorporated into the entree or served along side of the entree, in normal weight adults. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Volume, Energy Density, Meal Presentation
What is being tested?
Eating
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
45 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jul 2015to 31 Dec 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 35 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m^2
  • Unrestrained eater (<12 on Three Factor Eating Questionnaire [TFEQ])
  • Report liking Fettucini Alfredo, zucchini, and squash (rate all items >50mm on a visual analogue scale [VAS])
  • Report regularly eating before 10 am
  • Can compete all sessions within 8 weeks of the screening session

Who cannot join

  • Report binge eating
  • Report a medical condition that influences eating
  • Report allergies to foods used in the investigation
  • Currently smoke
  • Report dietary restrictions
  • Report taking a medication that affects appetite
  • Report being pregnant or breast-feeding
  • Report being an athlete in training

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site

  • Healthy Eating and Activity Laboratory, University of Tennessee

    Knoxville, Tennessee, 37996

Other trials in United States

About this study

This study will investigate the energy consumed from an entree with high- or low-volume vegetables incorporated into the entree or served along side of the entree, in normal weight adults.

Read the detailed description

Participants will complete four experimental sessions, where a main entree with high- or-low volume vegetables (either added as a side item or mixed with the main entree) will be served for lunch, to determine the impact that presentation and liking may have on the consumption of energy dense foods.

Once screened participants arrive for their first experimental session, they will record the foods and beverages they consumed in the past 24 hours, as well as write down the minutes of physical activity they participated in, within that same 24 hour period. The participants will rate their hunger, fullness, and liking of foods using a 100 mm VAS. After completing these forms, participants will be presented the appropriate meal, for their condition. Following the presentation of the meal, the participant will rate their liking of the meal appearance and then be instructed to eat as much or as little as they want of the meal provided in 20 minutes. At the completion of the allotted time, the meal will be removed, and the participant will evaluate their level of hunger, fullness, and liking of the foods consumed. The session will conclude with the collection of the hunger, fullness, and liking forms.

Being tested
Eating

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • EatingBehavioural

    Participants will have 20 minutes to eat as much or as little of a meal (consisting of pasta alone or pasta with zucchini and squash presented in 3 different ways)

Study groups in NCT02505230
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Meal Order 1Experimental[P,P+S,HVP,LVP] For the PASTA (P) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) and no vegetables. For the PASTA+SIDE (P+S) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) with a side of mixed zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices). For the HIGH-VOLUME PASTA (HVP) condition, participants view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices). For the LOW-VOLUME PASTA (LVP) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with grated zucchini and squash (chopped in food processor).
Receives: Behavioral: Eating
Meal Order 2Experimental[P+S,HVP,LVP,P] For the PASTA+SIDE (P+S) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) with a side of mixed zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices). For the HIGH-VOLUME PASTA (HVP) condition, participants view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices). For the LOW-VOLUME PASTA (LVP) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with grated zucchini and squash (chopped in food processor). For the PASTA (P) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) and no vegetables.
Receives: Behavioral: Eating
Meal Order 3Experimental[HVP,LVP,P,P+S] For the HIGH-VOLUME PASTA (HVP) condition, participants view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices). For the LOW-VOLUME PASTA (LVP) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with grated zucchini and squash (chopped in food processor). For the PASTA (P) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) and no vegetables. For the PASTA+SIDE (P+S) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) with a side of mixed zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices).
Receives: Behavioral: Eating
Meal Order 4Experimental[LVP,P,P+S,HVP] For the LOW-VOLUME PASTA (LVP) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with grated zucchini and squash (chopped in food processor). For the PASTA (P) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) and no vegetables. For the PASTA+SIDE (P+S) condition, participants will view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) with a side of mixed zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices). For the HIGH-VOLUME PASTA (HVP) condition, participants view, consume, and evaluate a main pasta entree (Fettuccini Alfredo) mixed with zucchini and squash (cut in 1/2 inch half-moon slices).
Receives: Behavioral: Eating

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Grams of main pasta entree consumed

    Measured: 20 minutes

  2. Grams of zucchini and squash consumed

    Measured: 20 minutes

  3. Level of hunger

    Measured: baseline

  4. Level of fullness

    Measured: baseline

  5. Level of liking

    Measured: baseline

  6. Energy intake

    Measured: 20 minutes

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Jul 2015 (estimated)
  2. Study startJul 2015
  3. Primary completion31 Dec 2021
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Other
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
45 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT02505230
Sponsor's protocol ID
UTK IRB-15-02349-XP
Status last verified
Jun 2026
First submitted
21 Jul 2015
Last updated
9 Jun 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Rolls BJ, Drewnowski A, Ledikwe JH. Changing the energy density of the diet as a strategy for weight management. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 May;105(5 Suppl 1):S98-103. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.033.

    PubMed 15867904

  • Rolls BJ. The relationship between dietary energy density and energy intake. Physiol Behav. 2009 Jul 14;97(5):609-15. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.03.011. Epub 2009 Mar 20.

    PubMed 19303887

  • Rolls BJ, Meengs JS, Roe LS. Variations in cereal volume affect the amount selected and eaten for breakfast. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014 Sep;114(9):1411-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2014.01.014. Epub 2014 Mar 19.

    PubMed 24656953

  • Stunkard AJ, Messick S. The three-factor eating questionnaire to measure dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger. J Psychosom Res. 1985;29(1):71-83. doi: 10.1016/0022-3999(85)90010-8.

    PubMed 3981480

  • Lohman TR, Roche AF, Martorell R. Anthropometric Standardization Reference Manual. Champaign,Illinois: Human Kinetics Books; 1988.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Eating in people with Volume and Energy Density, run by The University of Tennessee, Knoxville at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Jun 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Grams of main pasta entree consumed (time frame: 20 minutes). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02505230, which also lists 5 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Jun 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 30 Oct 2026.

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