Table 1.

Energy Compensation Following Covert Reductions in the Energy Content of the Diet

Study	Sample	Treatment	Energy Substituted	Duration	Food Available	Outcome
Porikos, Booth, and van Itallie (1977)	8 obese adults	Metabolic ward with sugar or aspartame foods	850 and 897 kcal during two periods	9 days sucrose and 6 days aspartame	Prescribed by stage of study	50% energy compensation
Porikos, Hesser, and van Itallie (1982)	6 normal-weight males	Metabolic ward with sugar or aspartame foods; Days 7–18 the caloric content reduced by 25%	900 kcal	24 days	Prescribed by stage of study	40% energy compensation after 4–6 days on low-calorie diet then 85% energy for rest low-calorie period
Foltin, Fischman, Emurian, and Rachlinski (1988)	6 normal-weight males	Metabolic ward with third of food low calorie on Days 6–11	500 kcal	14 days	Apart from periods of low-calorie foods a free choice	Days 6–11 100% energy compensation; Days 12–14 with regular foods available failed to compensate for increased caloric intake
Louis-Sylvestre, Tornier, Verger, Chabert, and Delorme (1989)	17 normal-weight males 15–17 years	Normal or low-energy snack (artificial sweeteners + fat) consumed for 5 days	200 kcal	6 days	Dinner provided 1 hour after snack on Days 1 and 6	Day 1 snack was not compensated at dinner; Day 6 there was precise energy compensation
Foltin, Fischman, Moran, Rolls, and Kelly (1990)	6 normal-weight males	Four lunches differing in fat and carbohydrate	Lunch offered 431 or 844 kcal	4 × 3 days	Apart from lunch freely chosen	76% energy compensation
Foltin et al. (1992)	6 normal-weight males	Metabolic ward with meals varying in fat and sugar/aspartame	Energy varied 700 to 1,700 kcal	4 × 3 days	Foods varied in energy content in 4 stages of study	16% energy compensation
Naismith and Rhodes (1995)	10 normal-weight males	Lunch sweetened with sucrose and then sweeteners	500 kcal	10 days	Freely chosen but foods varied in composition	42% energy compensation but varied from 0% to 90%
Lavin, French, and Read (1997)	14 female restrained eaters of normal weight	4 × 330 ml sweetened sugar/aspartame: half informed of nature of drink although did not influence energy intake	330 kcal	2 days	High-carbohydrate and high-fat snacks available with drink; Day 2 freely chosen	Over 2 days more energy consumed after aspartame drinks 111% compensation
Reid and Hammersley (1998)	14 normal-weight males and 13 females	Existing soft drinks replaced with those containing sucrose or aspartame	200–400 kcal	7 days	Freely chosen diet	Day 1 less carbohydrate consumed when aspartame consumed; by Day 2, there were no differences in intake, that is, energy compensation had taken place