Nutrition Food & Health Research Centre Franklin-Wilkins Building 150 Stamford Street

1. Energy intake from snacks while viewing television, and the effect on this of a herbal preparation. Gemma Baker, and Anthony R Leeds, Dept Nutrition and Dietetics, King’s College London, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 8WA. Nutrition Food & Health Research Centre Franklin-Wilkins Building 150 Stamford Street London SE1 9DD No further food was given for two hours, during which time the subjects read or studied. Two hours from the commencement of luncheon they were exposed either to a video recording (of a non-violent film containing few references or images of food) or a blank TV screen, and were allowed access to unlimited amounts of snack foods (crisps, chocolate, sweets and soft drinks) to consume as they wished. The herbal preparation* an over the counter (OTC) product available in the United Kingdom contained Guarana, Yerbe Mate and Damiana (95mg, 112mg, 36mg per tablet) and a colour matched identical shape placebo tablet was based on sugars. Guarana, a dough made from the seeds of Paullinia cupana, which grows in Brazilia and Venezuela, contains 3-6% caffeine, 5-8.5% tannins, 7.8% resins, 2-3% lipid, 0.06% saponin, 5-6% starch and 1.5% colouring agents (Schery, 1954). Yerbe Maté is an extract of Ilex paraguayensis from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay containing 1-1.5% caffeine, 4 -10% tannins and 3% resins and lipids (Hill, 1952). Damiana is obtained from the leaves of the plant Turnera diffusa var. aphrodisiaca from California, Mexico, Brazil and Bolivia and contains ethereal oils, resins and tannins (Bradley, 1992). The herbal extracts were obtained as powders. The components were mixed and prepared in tablets each containing 112 mg Yerbe Maté, 95 mg Guarana and 36 mg Damiana extract.The project was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of King’s College London. RESULTS Energy intake was significantly higher over the four hour period when subjects viewed TV (1595 + 372 kcal) compared to a blank screen (1390 + 344 kcal) (p<0.05), and there was a (non-significant) trend towards reduced energy intake while watching TV and taking herbal tablets (1517 + 485 kcal) compared to watching TV and taking placebo tablets (1674 + 305 kcal). DISCUSSION These preliminary results suggest that snacking behaviour while watching TV may be less controlled than when not watching TV, and that consequently more dietary energy may be consumed. Many factors may influence food choices under these conditions, but these results suggest that additional energy intake through snacking (approximately 200 kcal in one afternoon) could contribute to excess intake of dietary energy and consequent obesity, and lend further support to the advice to avoid eating while watching TV if trying to lose weight. The potential for a herbal preparation to limit intake under these conditions, suggested here by a trend towards a reduced intake of about 150 kcal (thus potentially reversing the effect of watching TV) merits further investigation. * Zotrim and placebo tablets were supplied by Nature’s Remedies. References 1. Dennison BA, Erb TA, Jenkins PA (2002) Television viewing and TV in bedroom associated with overweight risk among low-income pre-school children. Pediatrics, 109 (6), 1028-1035. 2. Grund A, Krause H, Siewers M, etal (2001) Is TV viewing an index of physical activity and fitness in overweight and normal weight children? Public Health Nutrition, 4 (6), 1245-1251. 3.Anderson T, Fogh J (2001) Weight loss and delayed gastric emptying following a South American herbal preparation in overweight patients. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 14, 243-250. BACKGROUND Television (TV) viewing may be a factor which influences body composition in children (and possibly adults), either through physical inactivity, or through eating behaviours associated with viewing1,2. Several investigators have shown a relationship between adiposity in children and total time spent viewing TV. Reduced activity while viewing TV may however be only one aspect of the problem since eating while viewing has become a common practice, during which physiological and behavioural cues to stop eating may be ignored. Indeed, standard behavioural therapy to achieve body weight reduction includes clear guidance on avoidance of eating while viewing. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether energy intake from snacking while watching TV was significantly higher than when not, and whether a herbal preparation known to slow gastric emptying and cause weight loss3 would reduce energy intake from snacking. SUBJECTS, METHODS AND DESIGN Eleven fit healthy adults (8 F, 3 M, aged 20 to 41 years) were randomised to two sessions each of TV viewing or a blank screen while seated at a desk with an option to read or write at the same time. Each subject was also randomised to treatment with an active herbal preparation or placebo, thus each subject was randomly allocated to four treatment combinations: TV + placebo preparation, TV + herbal preparation, no TV + placebo preparation, no TV + herbal preparation. All subjects consumed two tablets (either test or placebo) followed 20 minutes later by a standard breakfast, then consumed no more food until they attended the metabolic unit for further study four hours later. Two tablets (of the same type as before breakfast ) were consumed and 20 minutes later the subjects consumed as much of a luncheon menu as they wished.