The effects of pre-meal drink volume on gastric motility and energy intake in healthy men

Pre-meal drink ingestion is an effective method of controlling energy intake in humans. However, no studies have addressed the influence of differences in the volume of drink intake on gastric motility and energy intake. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of differences in the volume of drink intake before a meal on subsequent gastric motility and energy intake in healthy young men. Twelve men completed two, one-day trials in a random order. Subjects visited the laboratory after a 10-h overnight fast and consumed the nutrient drink (0.84 MJ) in either 100 mL or 600 mL quantities over a 5-min period. Then, the subjects sat on a chair for over 2 h to measure their cross-sectional gastric antral areas and gastric contractions with an ultrasound imaging system. Thereafter, the subjects consumed a test meal until they felt completely full. Energy intake was calculated from the amount of food consumed. Energy intake in the 600 mL trial was 12% higher than the 100 mL trial (5.1 ± 1.3 vs. 4.6 ± 1.4 MJ, P = 0.046). The antral area (P = 0.046) and the frequency of the gastric contraction (P = 0.001) over 2 h after consuming the nutrient drink were higher in the 600 mL trial than the 100 mL trial. These findings demonstrated that consumption of a 600 mL nutrient drink increased energy intake. The modulation of gastric motility might have some effects on energy intake.