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Does the paper below suggest that we will consume fewer food
if we relax our minds before meals?

Chaput JP, Tremblay A.
Acute effects of knowledge-based work on feeding behavior
and energy intake.
Physiol Behav. 2006 Oct 2; [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 17023010

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of
knowledge-based
work (KBW) on feeding behavior and spontaneous energy intake
with the use of
a repeated measures/within-subjects design. We used a
two-session protocol
including an ad libitum buffet preceded by either rest in a
sitting position
for 45 min or a cognitive task (reading a document and
writing a summary of
350 words using a computer) over the same time period. In
this regard, 15
healthy Laval University female students (mean
age=24.1+/-2.2 years, mean
BMI=24.0+/-4.3 kg/m(2)) were recruited to participate in
this study.
Anthropometric variables, energy expenditure, heart rate,
blood pressure,
food intake (dietary record), and appetite sensation markers
were measured
at each testing session, and two questionnaires
[Three-Factor Eating
Questionnaire (TFEQ) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
(STAI)] were
administered. In addition, a buffet-type meal was used to
measure
spontaneous energy intake and macronutrient preferences. We
found that the
mean energy expenditure of the two conditions was about
comparable
(difference of 13 kJ between the two tasks) whereas the mean
ad libitum
energy intake after the KBW task exceeded that measured
after rest by 959 kJ
(p<0.01). Although a higher absolute energy intake was
observed for the
three macronutrients after the KBW task (p<0.05), no
specific preference was
detected, as reflected by the comparable percent of energy
from each
macronutrient in the two conditions. No significant
difference in appetite
sensation markers was observed between the two conditions,
although the
subjects ate more in the buffet-type meal after the KBW
task. Furthermore,
the subjects did not compensate by decreasing food intake
for the rest of
the day, suggesting a net caloric surplus. We also observed
negative
correlations between cognitive dietary restraint (TFEQ) and
spontaneous
energy intake in both conditions. In conclusion, our results
demonstrate
that mental work solicited by KBW has the potential to
induce a higher
spontaneous energy intake. This also raises the possibility
that KBW adds a
new component to sedentariness that might further accentuate
the positive
energy balance that is more likely to occur when one is
inactive.