Table 1. Subject's characteristics and subjective ratingsa on appetite and stress on arrival, and 25 min after food intake (mean±s.d.) of the severely obese and normal-weight females.

	Severely obese (n=17)		Normal-weight (n=12)		Test statistic (t)	P-value
	Mean	s.d.	Mean	s.d.
Body weight (kg)	119b	17.5	64b	8.8	−10.0	<0.0001
Body mass index (kg m−2)	43.2b	4.8	22.7b	1.8	−14.1	<0.0001
Age	39	11.0	36	12.3	−0.65	0.52
Hours of sleep night preceding tests	7.0	1.1	7.1	0.67	0.23	0.82
Fasting plasma glucose (mmol l−1)c	5.42b	0.54	4.85b	0.53	−2.66	0.01
Fasting insulin (μU ml−1)c	20.8b	12.9	5.38b	1.69	−4.41	0.001
Increase in plasma glucose (mmol l−1)	1.35	0.49	1.01	1.14	−0.95	0.35
Increase in insulin (μU ml−1)	156.1b	85.7	55.7b	33.6	−3.63	0.02
Subjective ratings on arrival
Hunger (mm)	58	18	54	20	1.17	0.60
Fullness (mm)	20	18	17	18	−2.05	0.68
Stress (mm)	18	17	18	21	2.04	0.91
Tiredness (mm)	54	25	39	20	−1.75	0.10
Change in subjective ratings
Hunger (mm)	−21	24	−8	18	−1.63	0.12
Fullness (mm)	27	24	14	24	1.49	0.15
Stress (mm)	−10b	12	+3b (increase)	17	−2.33	0.03
Tiredness (mm)	−20	24	−17	23	−0.037	0.72

^aRatings were obtained using a 100-mm visual analog scale.

^bDifference between obese and normal-weight participants (P<0.05).

^cProblems with the blood sampling procedures in the severe obese participants resulted in missing values for fasting glucose and insulin for three obese individuals (data fasting blood parameters presented for n=14), and we were not able to calculate increases in glucose and insulin concentrations for five obese individuals (data increase in blood parameters presented for n=12).