Influence of Ambient Temperature on Food Intake Through a Randomized Control Trial in an Office Setting

Study Summary

Based on preliminary data and previous studies, the investigators hypothesize that the ambient temperature experienced by an individual influences his or her food intake in males and females aged 19 to 30. Specifically, exposure to temperatures above the thermoneutral zone (TNZ) will decrease consumption in young adults in a sedentary situation. Researchers will execute a randomized control trial specifically testing thermal exposure and its effect on an individual's food consumption. Participants will receive and wear a t-shirt. They will have a thermal image taken of the inner canthus of their eye and middle finger nail bed, representing a baseline of core and peripheral temperatures, respectively. They will be randomized to either a colder environment (65°F) or a warmer environment (75°F) under the artifice of monitoring routine office work with abnormal temperature conditions. Their knowledge of the experiment will be limited until the end. They will experience this temperature while filling out paperwork and performing basic office tasks. After one hour, another thermal image will be taken. Each participant will be presented with a large, Mellow Mushroom cheese pizza and directed to eat at their leisure and subsequently finish the office tasks over the next hour. The participants will then be debriefed on the parameters of the experiment and body measurements will be taken at the end so as to prevent bias of the subject by limiting their food intake. The investigators will quantify energy intake by weighing remaining food and comparing to known caloric content by weight from bomb calorimetry tests. The infrared thermal images will determine whether the temperatures experienced were extreme enough to initiate a change in thermoregulation.

Interventions

• OTHER Thermal Environment