Effect of limiting snack food variety on long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony during obesity treatment

Limiting meal variety decreases hedonic ratings of eaten foods more so than non-eaten foods, demonstrating sensory-specific satiety. Exposure to a food over time decreases the food's hedonic ratings, indicating monotony. The effect of limiting food group variety over time on long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony is unknown. Thirty overweight adults were randomized to one of two 8-week behavioral weight loss interventions. One condition limited snack food intake to one chosen snack food (reduced variety), while the other limited snack food intake to < 1 serving/day (control), with no variety limit. In the reduced variety condition, hedonic ratings of the chosen snack food showed a decrease (p < .05) over time and decreased more (p < .05) than hedonic ratings of other snack foods. Weight loss (− 7.4 ± 5.8 lb) occurred in both conditions. Limiting food group variety over 8 weeks produced long-term sensory-specific satiety and monotony. Future research should examine if limiting food group variety over an extended time affects intake and could be used as a technique in weight loss interventions.