An inverse relationship between meal frequency
and body weight has been observed in several studies: however, little
information is available on the effects of a snack consumption on energy and nutrient
intakes in adults. In this study, 19 healthy volunteers consumed daily for 3
weeks, in a cross-over design, one of two isocaloric snacks (bread with salmon
spread or bread with salami). Diet composition, anthropometrics, blood
pressure, lipid and fatty acid profiles, fasting plasma glucose levels and high
sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) were assessed at the beginning of the
study and before and after each dietary period. The inclusion
of a mid afternoon snack in the standard meal pattern (breakfast, lunch,
dinner) was associated with a significant reduction in energy intake at dinner
(the reduction being larger after the snack prepared with the salmon spread);
the total daily caloric intake, however, was not changed by the snack consumption, since the snack caloric intake was fully
compensated by the lower dinner energy intake. No significant change has been
observed in any of the measured biochemical or anthropometric parameters, even
if a trend toward a plasma hs-CRP reduction and toward a more favourable HUFA
index was observed after the salmon spread snack consumption. These
observations indicate that the regular consumption of a
balanced mid afternoon snack has no adverse effects on energy intake and
biochemical parameters of healthy adults with a moderately active lifestyle;
the snack consumption results, however, in
different distributions of the energy intake among meals. The snack composition
(salmon or salami) may further influence these effects.