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Table 1 Summary information on included studies

From: Calorie reformulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effect of manipulating food energy density on daily energy intake

Study

Country and sample

Sample characteristics

Child or adult sample

Study design information

Number of participants

Meals/foods ED manipulated for all meals/foods?

ED conditions

ED manipulation

Bell, 1998 [40]

US

University students and local community

BMI:

M = 23 kg/m2

SE = 0.4

Gender:

18F

Adult

M = 26 yrs.

SE = 1.4

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 2 days

N = 18

No: Lunch entrée, dinner entrée, evening snack only

Lower ED

0.8 kcal/g

Medium ED

1.1 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.3 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Bell, 2001 [41]

US

University students and local community

BMI:

M = 28 kg/m2

SE = 0.6

Gender:

36F

Adult

M = 26 yrs.

SE = 1.8

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 36

No: Breakfast entrée, lunch entrée, evening snack only

Lower ED

1.26–1.31 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.79–1.81 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Blatt, 2011 [42]

US

University students and local community

BMI:

M = 24 kg/m2

SE = 0.7

Gender:

20 M, 21F

Adult

M = 24 yrs.

SE = 1.1

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 41

No: Breakfast entrée, lunch entrees, dinner entrée only

Lower ED

1.99 kcal/g

Medium ED

2.25 kcal/

Higher ED

2.64 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Blatt, 2012 [43]

US

University students and local community

BMI:

M = 24 kg/m2

SE = 0.6

Gender:

28 M, 40F

Adult

M = 27 yrs.

SE = 1.1

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 68

No: Breakfast entrée, lunch entrees, dinner entrée only

Lower ED

1 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.6 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Buckland, 2018 [44]

UK

Participants in weight loss trial

BMI:

M = 34 kg/m2

SD = 3.7

Gender:

77F

Adult

M = 41 yrs.

SD = 12.3

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 77

Yes

Lower ED

0.8 kcal/g

Higher ED

2.5 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Caputo, 1992 [45]

US

Healthy/normal weight sample

BMI:

M = N/R

SD = N/R

Gender:

8 M, 8F

Adult

M = 26 yrs.

SD = 8

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 5 days

N = 8

No: Lunch only

Lower ED

0.45 kcal/g

1.19 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.2 kcal/g

3.9 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Devitt, 2004 [46]

US

University students and local community

BMI:

M = 25

SD = 4.3

Gender:

11 M, 9F

Adult

M = 23 yrs.

SD = 5.8

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 20

Yes

Lower ED

1.49 kcal/g

Higher ED

2.6 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Duncan, 1983 [47]

US

Sample N/R

BMI:

M = N/R

SD = N/R

Gender:

10 M, 10F

Adult

M = 34 yrs.

SD = N/R

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 5 days

N = 20

Yes

Lower ED

0.7 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.5 kcal/g

Nutritional composition N/R

Foltin,1990 [48]

US

Sample N/R

BMI:

M = N/R

SD = N/R

Gender:

6 M

Adult

M = 28 yrs.

SE = 3.1

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 3 days

N = 6

No: Lunch only

Lower ED

0.4 kcal/g

Higher ED

0.8–0.9 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Gray, 2002 [49]

England

University students and staff

BMI:

M = 23 kg/m2

SE = 0.7

Gender:

20 M

Adult

M = 24 yrs.

SE = 1.1

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 20

No: Starter (preload) at lunch only

Lower ED

0.33 kcal/g

Higher ED

1 kcal/g

Nutritional composition N/R

Kral, 2002 [50]

US

University students and local community

BMI:

M = 22 kg/m2

SE = 1.5

Gender:

40F

Adult

M = 21 yrs.

SE = 2.9

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 40

No: Breakfast entrée, lunch entrée and dinner entree only

Lower ED

1.25 kcal/g

Medium ED

1.5 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.75 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Kral, 2004 [51]

US

University students and local community

BMI:

M = 24 kg/m2

SE = 0.4

Gender:

39F

Adult

M = 23 yrs.

SE = 1.0

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 39

No: Lunch entrée only

Lower ED

1.25 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.75 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Kral, 2020 [52]

US

Local community

BMI percentiles ranging from 43 to 95

kg/m2:

M = 43, 56 & 95 m2

SD = 22.6, 22.1 & 4.1

Gender:

29 M, 46F

Children

M = 8 yrs.

SD = 0.8

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 75

No: Breakfast only

Lower ED

1 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.6 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Leahy, 2008 [20]

US

Pre-school children at university day care centre

BMI percentile ranging from 44 to 99:

M = 71 kg/m2

SE = 3.1

Gender:

10 M, 16F

Children

M = 4 yrs.

SE = 0.1

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 2 day

N = 26

No: Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack only

Lower ED

0.91 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.23 kcal/g

Nutritional composition N/R

Mazlan, 2006 [53]

Scotland

Local community

BMI:

M = 23 kg/m2

SD = 2.0

Gender:

16 M

Adult

M = 29 yrs.

SD = 8.6

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 16

No: Breakfast, dessert snack only

Lower ED

0.96 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.94 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

McCrickerd, 2017 [54]

Singapore

University students and staff

BMI:

M = 22 kg/m2

SD = 3

Gender:

30 M, 31F

Adult

M = 25 yrs.

SD = 4.4

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 62

No: Breakfast, only

Lower ED

0.57 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.01 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Miller, 1998 [55]

US

University students, staff and local community

BMI:

M = 20–26 kg/m2

SE = 0.9–2.3

Gender:

51 M, 44F

Adult

M = 20–26 yrs.

SE = 0.6–2.2

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 10 days

N = 95

No: Snack food only

Lower ED

2.53 kcal/g

Higher ED

5.47 kcal/g

Nutritional composition N/R

Pritchard, 2014 [56]

UK

University students, staff and local community

BMI:

M = 24 kg/m2

SD = 3.3

Gender:

10 M, 23F

Adult

M = 47 yrs.

SD = 18

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 33

No: Lunch only

Lower ED

1 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.4 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Rolls, 2006 [57]

US

Local community

BMI:

M = 23 kg/m2

SE = 0.6

Gender:

24F

Adult

M = 22 yrs.

SE = 0.7

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 2 days

N = 24

Yes

Lower ED

1.61 kcal/g

Higher ED

2.11 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Shide, 1995 [58]

US

Local community

BMI:

M = 21 kg/m2

SE = 0.6

Gender:

48F

Adult

M = 26 yrs.

SE = 1.2

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 48

No: Lunch food only

Lower ED

0.46 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.02 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Silver, 2008 [59]

US

Adults aged over 60 in care setting

BMI:

M = 24 kg/m2

SE = 7.0

Gender:

14 M, 31F

Adult

M = 84 yrs.

SE = 1.0

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 45

No: Lunch only

Lower ED

1.1 kcal/g

Higher ED

2.2 kcal/g

Nutritional composition N/R

Smethers, 2019 [60]

US

Children in childcare centre

BMI percentile ranging from 9 to 100:

M = 60 kg/m2

SD = 25.1

Gender:

26 M, 23F

Children

M = 4.3 yrs.

SD = 0.7

Within-subjects

Self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 5 days

N = 49

No: Breakfast, lunch entrée, dinner entrée and afternoon snack only

Lower ED

1.47 kcal/g

Medium ED

1.82 kcal/

Higher ED

2.19 kcal/g

Nutritional composition N/R

Spill, 2011 [61]

US

Children in day care centre

BMI percentile ranging from 13 to 99:

M = 57 kg/m2

SE = 6.6

Gender:

18 M, 21F

Children

M = 4.7 yrs.

SE = 0.2

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 41

No: Breakfast entrée, lunch entrees, dinner entrée, evening snack only only

Lower ED

1.46 kcal/g

Medium ED

1.56 kcal/

Higher ED

1.95 kcal/g

Nutritional composition N/R

Stubbs, 1995a [18]

UK

Local community

BMI:

M = N/R

SD = N/R

Gender:

6 M

Adults

M = 42 yrs.

SD = 10.6

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 7 days

N = 6

Yes

Lower ED

1.15 kcal/g

Medium ED

1.34 kcal/

Higher ED

1.68 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Stubbs, 1995b [17]

UK

Local community

BMI:

M = N/R

SD = N/R

Gender:

7 M

Adults

M = 37 yrs.

SD = 7.6

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 14 days

N = 7

Yes

Lower ED

1.15 kcal/g

Medium ED

1.34 kcal/

Higher ED

1.68 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Stubbs, 1998a [15]

UK

Local community

BMI:

M = 22 kg/m2

SE = 2.6

Gender:

6 M

Adults

M = 30 yrs.

SE = 12.8

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 14 days

N = 6

Yes

Lower ED

0.89 kcal/g

Medium ED

1.31 kcal/

Higher ED

1.76 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Stubbs, 1998b [16]

UK

Local community

BMI:

M = 22 kg/m2

SD = 2.8

Gender:

6 M

Adults

M = 32 yrs.

SD = 5.3

Within-subjects

Participant self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 14 days

N = 6

Yes

Lower ED

0.85 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.50 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched

Tey, 2016 [62]

Singapore

University campus

BMI:

M = 22 kg/m2

SD = 1.6

Gender:

27 M

Adults

M = 26 yrs.

SD = 2.9

Within-subjects

Participant self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 27

No: Lunch only

Very low ED

0.27 kcal/g

Low ED

0.48 kcal/g

Medium ED

0.95 kcal/g

High ED

1.37 kcal/g

Very high ED

1.81 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Tey, 2018 [63]

Singapore

University campus

BMI:

M = 22 kg/m2

SD = 1.8

Gender:

32 M

Adults

M = 29 yrs.

SD = 7.5

Within-subjects

Participant self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 32

No: Lunch food only

Lower ED

0.11–0.13 kcal/g

Higher ED

0.49–0.5 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Westerstep, 1997 [64]

Netherlands

University campus and local community

BMI:

M = 22–27 kg/m2

SD = 6.4–7.1

Gender:

36F

Adults

M = 21–33 yrs.

SD = 0.7–9.5

Within-subjects

Participant self-reported and researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 36

No: Breakfast food and lunch only

Lower ED

1.21 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.78 kcal/g

Nutritional composition not matched

Williams, 2013 [19]

US

University campus and local community

BMI:

M = 23 kg/m2

SE = 0.6

Gender:

30 M, 29F

Adults

M = 26 yrs.

SE = 1.0

Within-subjects

Researcher measured EI

EI measured for 1 day

N = 59

No: Breakfast entrée, lunch entrée, dinner entrée only

Lower ED

1.44 kcal/g

Higher ED

1.8 kcal/g

Nutritional composition matched for one comparison (water content manipulation), not matched for other comparisons (e.g. fat content manipulation)

  1. BMI body mass index, ED energy density, EI energy intake, kg/m2 kilograms divided by metres squared, M mean, N/R not reported, SE standard error, SD standard deviation, yrs years