Our objective was to study the cross-sectional associations between concentrations of α- and γ-tocopherol and concentrations of glucose, glycosylated haemoglobin, insulin and C-peptide among US adults. We used data for 1289 participants without self-reported diabetes who were aged ≥20 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000. α-Tocopherol concentration was inversely associated with glucose concentration (β per mmol/l=−0·01064, se 0·00356, P=0·004) after adjusting for age, sex, race or ethnicity, education, smoking status, concentrations of total cholesterol and triacylglycerols, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, alcohol use, physical activity, time watching television or videos or using a computer, and use of vitamin/mineral/dietary supplements. Among 659 participants who did not report using supplements, this association was no longer significant whereas the concentration of α-tocopherol was inversely associated with concentration of C-peptide (β per mmol/l=−0·01121, se 0·00497, P=0·024). γ-Tocopherol concentration was positively associated with concentration of glucose (β per mmol/l=0·09169, se 0·02711, P=0·001) and glycosylated haemoglobin (β per mmol/l=0·04954, se 0·01284, P<0·001), but not insulin or C-peptide. The relationships between physiologic concentrations of the various forms of vitamin E and measures of glucose intolerance deserve additional investigation.

The present work aimed to differentiate between proteolytic activities of plants and micro-organisms during the incubation of grass in cattle rumens. Freshly cut ryegrass was placed in bags of varying permeability and incubated for 16 h in the rumens of dairy cows that had previously grazed a ryegrass sward, supplemented with 4 kg dairy concentrate daily. Woven polyester bags (50 μm pore size) permitted direct access of the micro-organisms and rumen fluid enzymes to the plant material. The polythene was impermeable even to small molecules such as NH3. Dialysis tubing excluded micro-organisms and rumen enzymes/metabolites larger than 10 kDa. DM loss was 46·3 % in polyester, 36·2 % in polythene and 38·1 % in dialysis treatments. It is possible that the DM loss within polythene bags occurred due to a solubilisation of plant constituents (e.g. water-soluble carbohydrates) rather than microbial attachment/degradation processes. The final protein content of the herbage residues was not significantly different between treatments. Regardless of bag permeability, over 97 % of the initial protein content was lost during incubations in situ. Electrophoretic separation showed that Rubisco was extensively degraded in herbage residues whereas the membrane-associated, light-harvesting protein remained relatively undegraded. Protease activity was detected in herbage residues and bathing liquids after all incubation in situ treatments. Although rumen fluid contains proteases (possibly of plant and microbial origin), our results suggest that, owing to cell compartmentation, their activity against the proteins of intact plant cells is limited, supporting the view that plant proteases are involved in the degradation of proteins in freshly ingested herbage.

Vitamin C (ascorbate) is essential for hydroxylation of prolyl and lysyl residues in nascent collagen, the failure of which leads to connective tissue lesions of scurvy. Of the pyridinium-type cross-links in mature collagen, pyridinoline requires more hydroxylysyl residues than does deoxypyridinoline. Our study tested the hypothesis that pyridinoline:deoxypyridinoline ratios in urinary degradation products may vary with ascorbate status in man. These ratios were compared between British and Gambian prepubertal boys, mean age 8·3 years, and in Gambian boys between two seasons with contrasting ascorbate availability. The mean cross-links ratio in 216 British boys was 4·36 (sd 0·71), significantly greater (P<0·0001) than in sixty-two Gambian boys: 3·83 (sd 0·52). In the Gambians the cross-links ratio was significantly higher in the dry season (with high ascorbate intake and status) than in the rains (with low intake and status). A 7-week controlled intervention was carried out in Gambian boys during the rainy season (the ‘hungry’ season, when vitamin C-containing foods are virtually unavailable): 100 mg ascorbate/d was given to one group of thirty-two Gambian boys and placebo to another group. The intervention did not, however, significantly alter the cross-link ratio, possibly because the response time and/or intervention–response delay is >7 weeks. If confirmed, the putative association between ascorbate and collagen cross-link ratios in man could become the basis for a functional test for adequacy of ascorbate status.

Inulin-type fructans (β(2,1)fructans) extracted from chicory roots (Cichorium intybus) are prebiotic food ingredients, which in the gut lumen are fermented to lactic acid and SCFA. Research in experimental animal models revealed that inulin-type fructans have anticarcinogenic properties. A number of studies report the effects of inulin-type fructans on chemically induced pre-neoplastic lesions (ACF) or tumours in the colon of rats and mice. In twelve studies, there were twenty-nine individual treatment groups of which twenty-four measured aberrant crypt foci (ACF) and five measured tumours. There was a significant reduction of ACF in twenty-one of the twenty-four treatment groups and of tumour incidence in five of the five treatment groups. Higher beneficial effects were achieved by synbiotics (mixtures of probiotics and prebiotics), long-chain inulin-type fructans compared to short-chain derivatives, and feeding high-fat Western style diets. Inulin-type fructans reduced tumour incidence in APCMin mice in two of four studies and reduced growth and metastasising properties of implanted tumour cells in mice (four studies). The effects have been reported to be associated with gut flora-mediated fermentation and production of butyrate. In human cells, inulin-derived fermentation products inhibited cell growth, modulated differentiation and reduced metastasis activities. In conclusion, evidence has been accumulated that shows that inulin-type fructans and corresponding fermentation products reduced the risks for colon cancer. The involved mechanisms included the reduction of exposure to risk factors and suppression of tumour cell survival. Thus, this specific type of dietary fibre exerted both blocking agent and suppressing agent types of chemopreventive activities.

After resective and reconstructive surgery in the gastrointestinal tract, oral feeding is traditionally avoided in order to minimize strain to the anastomoses and to reduce the inherent risks of the postoperatively impaired gastrointestinal motility. However, studies have given evidence that the small bowel recovers its ability to absorb nutrients almost immediately following surgery, even in the absence of peristalsis, and that early enteral feeding would preserve both the integrity of gut mucosa and its immunological function. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of early enteral feeding on the postoperative course following oesophagectomy or oesophagogastrectomy, and reconstruction. Between May 1999 and November 2002, forty-four consecutive patients (thirty-eight males and six females; mean age 62, range 30–82) with oesophageal carcinoma (stages I–III), who had undergone radical resection and reconstruction, entered this study (early enteral feeding group; EEF). A historical group of forty-four patients (thirty-seven males and seven females; mean age 64, range 41–79; stages I–III) resected between January 1997 and March 1999 served as control (parenteral feeding group; PF). The duration of both postoperative stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the total hospital stay, perioperative complications and the overall mortality were compared. Early enteral feeding was administered over the jejunal line of a Dobhoff tube. It started 6 h postoperatively at a rate of 10 ml/h for 6 h with stepwise increase until total enteral nutrition was achieved on day 6. In the controls oral enteral feeding was begun on day 7. If compared to the PF group, EEF patients recovered faster considering the duration of both stay in the ICU and in the hospital. There was a significant difference in the interval until the first bowel movements. No difference in overall 30 d mortality was identified. A poor nutritional status was a significant prognostic factor for an increased mortality. Early enteral feeding significantly reduces the duration of ICU treatment and total hospital stay in patients who undergo oesophagectomy or oesophagogastrectomy for oesophageal carcinoma. The mortality rate is not affected.

Experimental evidence on the anticancer properties of dietary prebiotics such as chicory inulin and oligofructose and dietary probiotics has accumulated in recent years. Various experimental models ranging from chemoprevention studies, tumour implantation models to genetically modified mice models, etc. have systematically shown the protective effects of these food ingredients. In some studies it appeared that synbiotics (combination of pre- and probiotics) exerted synergistic activity against processes of carcinogenesis. The logical next step in research was to find out if these observations also would be valid for human volunteers. This was the principal goal of the EU-sponsored SYNCAN project (QLK1-1999-346) which involved the integration of an in vitro study to select the most suitable synbiotic preparation, the application of this synbiotic in an in vivo rat model of chemically induced colon cancer, and, as the heart of the project, the investigation of the synbiotic effects in a human intervention study. The in vitro tests consisted of fermentation studies where the interaction of pre- and probiotics was studied. Cell-free supernatants were generated from various synbiotic combinations fermented by faecal slurry, which were then used to optimise a series of bioassays. In the rat study the anticarcinogenic effect of prebiotics and synbiotics but not of probiotics was demonstrated. Using tissue samples generated in this model, attempts were made to gain a better insight into the mechanisms underlying cancer development. The human intervention study consisted of two groups of volunteers. One group was composed of people at high risk (polypectomised subjects) for colon cancer and the other of volunteers (colon cancer subjects) who had previously undergone ‘curative resection‘ for colon cancer but were not currently receiving treatment. The present paper describes the experimental design of the SYNCAN study, and demonstrates a functional effect of the synbiotic preparation (probiotic survival during gastrointestinal transit and modification of the intestinal flora). Detailed experimental outcome of the human intervention study will be reported elsewhere.

Changes in the growth hormone (GH)–insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) axis, especially acquired GH resistance, develop in many severe illnesses, including cachexia. To study changes in the GH–IGF-I axis in patients with cancer cachexia, biochemical markers and body composition parameters were measured in eighty-eight gastric cancer patients, thirty colorectal cancer patients (subclassified according to the presence or absence of cachexia) and twenty-four healthy control subjects. Fifty-nine patients were defined as cachectic, based on the percentage of weight loss compared with their previous normal weight. The remaining fifty-nine patients were defined as non-cachectic. Measurements were repeated in twenty-seven patients (sixteen with gastric cancer and eleven with colorectal cancer) 3 months after radical operation. Compared with the controls, the cachectic gastric cancer patients had high GH levels (1·36 v. 0·32 ng/ml; P=0·001), a trend towards high IGF-I levels (223·74 v. 195·15 ng/ml; P=0·128 compared with non-cachectic patients) and a low log IGF-I/GH ratio (2·55 and 2·66 v. 3·00; P=0·002), along with a decreased BMI; the cachectic colorectal cancer patients showed the biochemical characteristics of acquired GH resistance: high GH (0·71 v. 0·32 ng/ml; P=0·016), a trend towards decreased IGF-I levels (164·18 v. 183·24 ng/ml; P=0·127) and a low log IGF-I/GH ratio (2·54 v. 2·99; P=0·005), with increased IGF-I levels following radical surgery (200·49 v. 141·91 ng/ml; P=0·046). These findings suggest that normal GH reaction and sensitivity occur in gastric cancer patients, controlled by nutritional status, whereas acquired GH resistance develops in cachectic colorectal cancer patients, which may be caused by tumour itself.

Vegetables are the most important sources of phenolics in the Mediterranean diet. Phenolics, especially flavonoids, are suggested as being essential bioactive compounds providing health benefits. In this study, twenty-seven vegetables, fifteen aromatic herbs and some spices consumed in Central Italy (the Marches region) were studied to reveal total phenolic, flavonoid and flavanol content as well as their antioxidant capacity measured by the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) method. A comparison in terms of antioxidant capacity was made between different salads, as well as between salads to which aromatic herbs had been added. Lemon balm and marjoram at a concentration of 1·5 % w/w increased by 150 % and 200 % respectively the antioxidant capacity of a salad portion. A 200 g portion of a salad enriched with marjoram corresponded to an intake of 200 (sd 10) mg phenolics and 4000 (sd 300) ORAC units (μmol Trolox equivalents). Olive oils and wine or apple vinegars were the salad dressings that provided the highest increase in antioxidant capacity. Among the spices tested, cumin and fresh ginger made the most significant contribution to the antioxidant capacity. The results are useful in surveying the antioxidant parameters of vegetables, herbs and spices produced and consumed in our geographical area as well as in quantifying the daily intake of phenolics and ORAC units. The results can be used in public health campaigns to stimulate the consumption of vegetables able to provide significant health protection in order to prevent chronic diseases.

In rats rendered hypercholesterolaemic by maintaining them on a cholesterol-enriched diet (0·5 %) for 8 weeks, as a result of alteration in membrane structural lipids, erythrocytes were observed to be deformed and become more fragile. This deformity and fragility was partially reversed by the two dietary spice principles, curcumin and capsaicin, and the spice, garlic, by virtue of their ability to lower the extent of hypercholesterolaemia. A further insight into the factors that might have reduced the fluidity of erythrocytes in hypercholesterolaemic rats revealed changes in fatty acid profile of the membranes, phospholipid composition of the membrane bilayer, reduced Ca2+, Mg2+-ATPase, and reduction in the sensitivity of erythrocytes to concanavaline A. Dietary capsaicin appeared to counter these changes partially in hypercholesterolaemic rats. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra and fluorescence anisotropy parameters also revealed altered fluidity of erythrocytes in hypercholesterolaemic rats. Dietary capsaicin and curcumin significantly reversed this alteration. Scanning electron microscopic examination revealed that the echinocyte population was increased in the erythrocytes of hypercholesterolaemic rats, and this was significantly countered by dietary capsaicin. The membrane protein profile and the active cation efflux appeared to be unaffected in the hypercholesterolaemic situation.

Individual changes in heat production and body temperature were studied in response to cold exposure, prior to shivering. The subjects ten women (seven men) were of normal weight, had a mean age of 23 (SD 3) years and average BMI 22·2 (SD 1·6) Kg/m2. They were lying supine under thermoneutral conditions for 30 min and were subsequently exposed to air of 15°C until shivering occurred. Heat production was measured with a ventilated hood. Body composition was measured with underwater weighing and 2H dilution. Body temperatures were measured with thermistors. Heat production during cold exposure prior to shivering increased and reached a plateau. Skin temperature decreased and did not reach a plateau during the test period. The non-shivering interval (NSI) ranged from 20 to 148 min, was not related to body composition and was not significantly different between women (81 (sd 15) min) and men (84 (sd 34) min). NSI was negatively related to skin temperature (r2 0·44, P=0·004), and skin temperature was related to heat production (r2 0·39, P=0·007) In conclusion, subjects with a relatively large heat production during cold exposure maintained a relatively high skin temperature but showed a short NSI, independent of differences in body composition.

Accurate measurement of energy intake (EI) is essential in studies of energy balance in all age groups. Reported values for EI can be validated against total energy expenditure (TEE) measured using doubly labelled water (DLW). Our previous work has indicated that the use of the standardized 24 h multiple pass recall (24 h MPR) method produces slight overestimates of EI in pre-school children which are inaccurate at individual level but acceptable at group level. To extend this work, the current study validated EI by 24 h MPR against TEE by DLW in sixty-three (thirty-two boys) school-aged children (median age 6 years). In both boys and girls, reported EI was higher than TEE, although this difference was only significant in the girls (median difference 420 kJ/d, P=0·05). On analysis of agreement between TEE and EI, the group bias was an overestimation of EI by 250 kJ/d with wide limits of agreement (−2880, 2380 kJ/d). EI was over-reported relative to TEE by 7 % and 0·9 % in girls and boys, respectively. The bias in the current study was lower than in our previous study of pre-school children, suggesting that estimates of EI become less inaccurate as children age. However, the current study suggests that the 24 h MPR is inaccurate at the individual level.

Although the effects of short-term fasting on serum leptin concentrations are known, those resulting from long-lasting modifications of food intake schedule, as during the month of Ramadan, have not yet been extensively studied. Therefore, serum concentrations of leptin were measured around the clock at 4-hourly intervals before the beginning of Ramadan and on the twenty-third day of Ramadan daytime fasting in ten male subjects keeping the same usual activity pattern and general synchronisation in both situations. Time series were analysed with repeated measures ANOVA and Cosinor. No significant changes in amplitude or 24 h mean concentration were seen, but significant shifts of 5 h 30 min in peak and trough serum leptin levels were found on the twenty-third day of Ramadan.

We analysed the effect of (−)-epicatechin and cocoa extract on the activation of a lymphoid cell line. Particularly the expression of IL-2 receptor α (IL-2Rα or CD25) and, the secretion of IL-2 and IL-4 were established after flavonoid treatment. Two media culture conditions (1 and 10 % of fetal calf serum supplementation) and the different moments of flavonoid addition (simultaneously or 2 h before cell-activation) were compared. IL-2Rα (CD25) expression on activated cells was significantly reduced by epicatechin and cocoa extract in a dose-dependent manner, achieving the highest inhibition of about 50 % when flavonoids were added 2 h before stimulation. IL-2 secretion was also inhibited by the presence of both epicatechin and cocoa extract, displaying 60 and 75 % of inhibition, respectively. Cocoa flavonoids were also able to enhance 3–4·5-fold IL-4 release. In summary, cocoa extract down-modulated T lymphocyte activation and therefore the acquired immune response. This fact could be important in some states of the immune system hyperactivity such as autoimmune or chronic inflammatory diseases.

We investigated the effect of Brussels sprouts, inulin and a fermented milk on the faecal microbiota diversity of human microbiota-associated (HMA) rats by PCR-temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-TTGE) using universal and group-specific 16S rRNA gene primers. The HMA rats were submitted to a control diet for 10 d (initial time), then switched to the experimental diets for 4 weeks (final time). Using universal primers, the mean degree of similarity between all faecal samples at initial time was 80·8 %. In the group consuming the control diet throughout the experiment, the mean degree of similarity between the PCR-TTGE profiles at initial v. final time was 76·8 %, reflecting a spontaneous temporal variation. The mean degree of similarity between control and experimental groups at final time was lower, 72·4 %, 74·4 % and 75·6 % for inulin, Brussels sprouts and fermented milk, respectively, indicating a dietary effect on the predominant populations. Using specific primers, bifidobacteria could be detected only in those rats that had consumed inulin, showing a specific increasing effect of this dietary compound. The Lactobacillus population was very heterogeneous at initial time but tended to homogenize within each dietary group. At final time, caecal contents were collected for analysis of SCFA and β-glucuronidase activity. Inulin and Brussels sprouts increased the butyrate and acetate proportion, respectively, while the fermented milk did not modify the caecal biochemistry. This experiment shows for the first time that cruciferous vegetables are able to alter the diversity and the metabolic activities of the digestive microbiota in HMA rats.

Inulin-type fructans have been proposed to benefit mineral retention, thereby enhancing bone health. Many, but not all, experimental animal studies have shown increased mineral absorption by feeding non-digestible oligosaccharides. Possible reasons for inconsistencies are explored.A few studies have reported an enhanced bone mineral density or content. Bone health can be evaluated in chronic feeding studies with bone densitometry, bone breaking strength, bone mineral concentration and bone structure. Isotopic Ca tracers can be used to determine the point of metabolism affected by feeding a functional food ingredient. These methods and the effects of feeding inulin-type fructose are reviewed. Inulin-type fructans enhance Mg retention. Chicory long-chain inulin and oligofructose enhance femoral Ca content, bone mineral density and Ca retention through enhanced Ca absorption and suppressed bone turnover rates, but it is not bone-promoting under all conditions

The present study investigated the effect of arginine (Arg)-containing parenteral nutrition on phagocytic activity to elucidate the possible roles of Arg in the secretion of anabolic hormones and N balance in rats undergoing gastrectomy. Rats were divided into two experimental groups and received total parenteral nutrition (TPN). The TPN solutions were isonitrogenous and identical in nutrient compositions except for differences in amino acid content. One group received conventional TPN, the other group replaced 2 % of the total energy as Arg. After receiving TPN for 3 d, one-third of the rats in each experimental group were killed as the baseline group. The remaining rats underwent a partial gastrectomy and were killed 1 or 3 d after surgery. The results showed that there were no differences in N balance, plasma growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 levels between the two groups before or after surgery. The phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages was higher in the Arg group than in the control group 1 d after surgery. There were no differences in the phagocytic activities of blood polymorphonuclear neutrophils between the two groups at various time points. TNF-α levels in peritoneal lavage fluid were lower in the Arg group than in the control group on post-operative day 3. These results suggest that parenterally infused Arg enhances phagocytic activity and reduces the production of inflammatory mediators at the site of injury. However, Arg supplementation did not influence the secretion of anabolic hormones nor N balance in rats with a partial gastrectomy.

The salutary characteristics of the tomato are normally related to its content of carotenoids, especially lycopene, and other antioxidants. Our purpose was to verify whether the daily intake of a beverage prototype called Lyc-o-Mato® containing a natural tomato extract (Lyc-o-Mato® oleoresin 6 %) was able to modify plasma and lymphocyte carotenoid concentrations, particularly those of lycopene, phytoene, phytofluene and β-carotene, and to evaluate whether this intake was sufficient to improve protection against DNA damage in lymphocytes. In a double-blind, cross-over study, twenty-six healthy subjects consumed 250 ml of the drink daily, providing about 6 mg lycopene, 4 mg phytoene, 3 mg phytofluene, 1 mg β-carotene and 1·8 mg α-tocopherol, or a placebo drink. Treatments were separated by a wash-out period. Plasma and lymphocyte carotenoid and α-tocopherol concentrations were determined by HPLC, and DNA damage by the comet assay. After 26 d of consumption of the drink, plasma carotenoid levels increased significantly: concentrations of lycopene were 1·7-fold higher (P<0·0001); of phytofluene were 1·6-fold higher (P<0·0001); of phytoene were doubled (P<0·0005); of β-carotene were 1·3-fold higher (P<0·05). Lymphocyte carotenoid concentrations also increased significantly: that of lycopene doubled (P<0·001); that of phytofluene was 1·8-fold higher (P<0·005); that of phytoene was 2·6-fold higher (P<0·005); that of β-carotene was 1·5-fold higher (P<0·01) In contrast, the α-tocopherol concentration remained nearly constant. The intake of the tomato drink significantly reduced (by about 42 %) DNA damage (P<0·0001) in lymphocytes subjected to oxidative stress. In conclusion, the present study supports the fact that a low intake of carotenoids from tomato products improves cell antioxidant protection.

Enterolignans (enterodiol and enterolactone) can potentially reduce the risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Enterolignans are formed by the intestinal microflora after the consumption of plant lignans. Until recently, only secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol were considered enterolignan precursors, but now several new precursors have been identified, of which lariciresinol and pinoresinol have a high degree of conversion. Quantitative data on the contents in foods of these new enterolignan precursors are not available. Thus, the aim of this study was to compile a lignan database including all four major enterolignan precursors. Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry was used to quantify lariciresinol, pinoresinol, secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol in eighty-three solid foods and twenty-six beverages commonly consumed in The Netherlands. The richest source of lignans was flaxseed (301 129 μg/100 g), which contained mainly secoisolariciresinol. Also, lignan concentrations in sesame seeds (29 331 μg/100 g, mainly pinoresinol and lariciresinol) were relatively high. For grain products, which are known to be important sources of lignan, lignan concentrations ranged from 7 to 764 μg/100 g. However, many vegetables and fruits had similar concentrations, because of the contribution of lariciresinol and pinoresinol. Brassica vegetables contained unexpectedly high levels of lignans (185–2321 μg/100 g), mainly pinoresinol and lariciresinol. Lignan levels in beverages varied from 0 (cola) to 91 μg/100 ml (red wine). Only four of the 109 foods did not contain a measurable amount of lignans, and in most cases the amount of lariciresinol and pinoresinol was larger than that of secoisolariciresinol and matairesinol. Thus, available databases largely underestimate the amount of enterolignan precursors in foods.

This study compared plasma and urinary carnitine concentrations in pregnant and non-pregnant Korean women. The subjects were fifty pregnant women and thirty non-pregnant women aged 24–28 years. During the first trimester, dietary carnitine intakes in the pregnant women were much lower than in non-pregnant women (70·00 (sd 29·22) μmol/d), but over the course of pregnancy carnitine intake increased from 44·64 (sd 24·84) μmol/d during the first trimester to 96·11 (sd 36·56) μmol/d during the third trimester. Pregnant women had a significantly lower plasma carnitine concentration than non-pregnant women. Plasma concentrations of non-esterified carnitine, acid-soluble acylcarnitine and total carnitine were significantly lower during the second and third trimesters than the first. Plasma acid-insoluble acylcarnitine levels, which tended to be higher in the non-pregnant women compared with the pregnant women, increased significantly as gestation proceeded. The urinary excretion of non-esterified carnitine, acid-soluble acylcarnitine and total carnitine was significantly higher in the pregnant women during the first and second trimesters than in non-pregnant women and decreased significantly as gestation proceeded. We found that there was a significant decrease in plasma carnitine level even though dietary carnitine intake increased as gestation proceeded. The low urinary excretion of carnitine in late pregnancy may be caused by an increased demand during pregnancy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical utility of appetite sensations to characterize individual overall energy intake. A group of men (n 28) and women (n 23) was recruited to record their ‘desire to eat’, ‘hunger’, ‘fullness’ and ‘prospective food consumption’ (PFC) on visual analogue scales before a standardized meal test, immediately after and every 10 min for a period of 1 h after the meal. The 1 h post-meal area under the curve (1 h AUC) and the satiety quotient (SQ) were calculated for all appetite sensations. In a second visit, all participants were invited to eat three meals in order to measure total energy intake (TEI) and food preferences. Metabolic rate (MR) was also assessed to derive daily relative energy intake (REI) by subtracting this variable from TEI (TEI−MR=REI). The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire scores were also calculated for all participants. One h AUC for fullness was the appetite sensation most strongly associated with TEI and REI (r−0·42, P≤0·003 and r−0·32, P≤0·05, respectively). SQ for fullness was the only predictor of TEI and REI (r−0·42, P≤0·0003 and r−0·30, P≤0·05, respectively). Restraint, disinhibition and hunger scores were not associated with appetite sensation variables. These results suggest that the fullness dimension seems to be a useful appetite sensation to predict long-term TEI and REI. Thus, assessment of appetite sensation such as fullness in response to a fixed load may be useful to evaluate individual overall energy intake.