(09-05-11) Video game playing increases food intake in adolescents: a randomized crossover study.

Chaput JP, Visby T, Nyby S, Klingenberg L, Gregersen NT, Tremblay A, Astrup A, Sj?din A.

Source Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Video game playing has been linked to obesity in many observational studies.
However, the influence of this sedentary activity on food intake is unknown.

OBJECTIVE:
The objective was to examine the acute effects of sedentary video game play on
various components of energy balance.

DESIGN:
With the use of a randomized crossover design, 22 healthy, normal-weight, male
adolescents (mean ? SD age: 16.7 ? 1.1 y) completed two 1-h experimental
conditions, namely video game play and rest in a sitting position, followed by
an ad libitum lunch. The endpoints were spontaneous food intake, energy
expenditure, stress markers, appetite sensations, and profiles of appetite-
related hormones.

RESULTS:
Heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, sympathetic tone, and
mental workload were significantly higher during the video game play condition
than during the resting condition (P < 0.05). Although energy expenditure was
significantly higher during video game play than during rest (mean increase
over resting: 89 kJ; P < 0.01), ad libitum energy intake after video game play
exceeded that measured after rest by 335 kJ (P < 0.05). A daily energy surplus
of 682 kJ (163 kcal) over resting (P < 0.01) was observed in the video game
play condition. The increase in food intake associated with video game play was
observed without increased sensations of hunger and was not compensated for
during the rest of the day. Finally, the profiles of glucose, insulin,
cortisol, and ghrelin did not suggest an up-regulation of appetite during the
video game play condition.

CONCLUSION:
A single session of video game play in healthy male adolescents is associated
with an increased food intake, regardless of appetite sensations. The trial was
registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01013246.

PMID: 21490141 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 Apr 13. [Epub ahead of print]

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