Study VLA-204
Long-Term Appetite Continuity Study
A 52-week, multi-center, randomized, open-label study of program adherence, satiety and sensory adaptation in adults enrolled in the Veldenza Appetite Program
94.1%
program adherence at week 52 in the integrated arm, compared with 71.3% in the comparator
Study record
- Internal ID
- VLA-204
- Status
- Completed
- Program stage
- Extended continuity
- Duration
- 52 weeks, plus extended observation
- Enrollment
- 1,240 adults
- Sponsor
- Veldenza, through the Veldenza Institute for Appetite and Everyday Nutrition
Plain-language summary
VLA-204 followed 1,240 adults for a year to answer a practical question: do people stay with an appetite program longer when their foods are designed for it?
They did. Participants who ate VeldenzaLife programmed foods alongside their daily appetite support were far more likely to be following their program at the end of the year than participants who chose their own foods.
The study also tracked how appetite and taste change over a year of continuous use. Over time, many participants in the integrated arm found that foods tasted more alike and that meals felt less filling, even as they kept to their program. Many also noticed food aromas from outside the program more quickly than before.
During the extended observation period, a small number of participants left supervised settings, or crossed fences and other barriers, to reach food that was not part of the program. These observations are described in full below.
Study design
Background
An internal review of early sensory observations concluded that the available data did not warrant changes to the planned expansion. VLA-204 was initiated to characterize these observations over longer follow-up.
Adults were randomized 2:1 to the integrated program or the comparator and followed for 52 weeks, with an extended observation period for participants who continued in the program.
827
Integrated program
Daily Veldenza appetite support with VeldenzaLife programmed meals, snacks and drinks.
413
Comparator
Daily Veldenza appetite support with self-selected foods.
- Objective
- To measure whether pairing appetite support with programmed foods improves long-term program adherence, and to describe changes in satiety and taste over a full year of continuous use.
- Primary endpoint
- Program adherence at week 52, defined as at least 90% of scheduled servings recorded.
- Secondary endpoints
- Post-meal satiety rating (Veldenza Satiety Scale, 0–10)
- Taste Differentiation Index (baseline = 100)
- Orientation latency to unprogrammed food aromas
- Meal satisfaction
- Time to first unscheduled food-seeking episode
- Sites
- Veldenza Life Campus Clinical Unit
- Veldenza Institute for Appetite and Everyday Nutrition
- Veldenza Partner Nutrition Centre — Harbour
- Veldenza Partner Nutrition Centre — Lakeside
- Veldenza Partner Nutrition Centre — Uplands
Study timeline
- Enrollment1,240 adults randomized.
- Week 12Early adherence recorded.
- Week 26Mid-study review.
- Week 52Primary measurements.
- Extended observationFollow-up continues for participants who stay.
Results
- Program adherence at week 52 was 94.1% in the integrated arm, the highest recorded in any Veldenza study.
- Mean post-meal satiety ratings declined from 7.4 to 4.6 over 52 weeks, while the number of programmed servings recorded remained stable or increased.
- Taste Differentiation Index scores fell by a mean of 38% in the integrated arm. Participants most often described programmed foods as “consistent.”
- Median orientation latency to unprogrammed food aromas shortened from 6.2 seconds at baseline to 1.4 seconds at week 52.
- In blinded tastings at week 52, four in five integrated-arm participants could not tell programmed meals apart. The fifth could no longer recall what the difference had been.
Program adherence
Share of participants recording at least 90% of scheduled servings.
- Integrated program
- Comparator
View data table
| Week | Integrated program | Comparator |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100% | 100% |
| 4 | 98.6% | 92% |
| 12 | 97.2% | 84.5% |
| 26 | 95.8% | 78% |
| 39 | 94.9% | 74.2% |
| 52 | 94.1% | 71.3% |
Taste differentiation and satiety
Integrated arm. Taste Differentiation Index (baseline = 100) and post-meal satiety rating scaled to the same axis (7.4 = 100).
- Taste differentiation
- Post-meal satiety
View data table
| Week | Taste differentiation | Post-meal satiety |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 100 | 100 |
| 4 | 97 | 102.7 |
| 12 | 89 | 95.9 |
| 26 | 78 | 83.8 |
| 39 | 69 | 71.6 |
| 52 | 62 | 62.2 |
Observations
| Observation | Integrated n = 827 | Comparator n = 413 |
|---|---|---|
| Reduced taste differentiation | 31.0% | 11.6% |
| Persistent hunger | 22.4% | 9.8% |
| Heightened response to unprogrammed food aromas | 12.7% | 4.1% |
| Unscheduled departure from a supervised setting toward a food source | 1.9% | 0.5% |
| Physical boundary crossing to obtain unprogrammed food | 0.8% | 0.0% |
| Lowered posture while approaching a food source | 0.4% | 0.0% |
Boundary-crossing observations include climbing site fencing, passing beneath a vehicle barrier and entering a closed staff kitchen. All participants remained identifiable to study staff throughout.
Limitations
- The study was open-label; participants and Program Guides knew which arm each participant was in.
- Satiety and taste measures were self-reported.
- The extended observation period was not designed to assess food-seeking behavior, and these observations were recorded as they arose.
- Unprogrammed food present near study sites — including staff lunches and a neighboring bakery — was not controlled.
Veldenza's interpretation
Veldenza interprets the behavioral observations as a probable expression of environmental food-cue sensitivity, a heightened response to strong, uncontrolled food aromas in the study environment, rather than an effect of the Program itself. Adherence, the Program's primary measure, was exceptionally high. Veldenza continues to evaluate the relevance of these observations to everyday use.
Related publications
Sensory Adaptation During Integrated Appetite Support: A 52-Week Observational Analysis
Fictional publication in an invented journal.
Study product: The Veldenza Appetite Program, including important safety information.