Eureka Alert, May 21, 2007 WASHINGTON, D.C. - According to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week 2007, lifestyle factors like choosing your diet regimen or ordering an appetizer for dinner may have a significant impact on the gastrointestinal (GI) system, affecting your risk for certain diseases, weight and general GI-related activity. Many people believe that ordering an appetizer can actually make you hungrier and that you tend to eat more of your entrée as a result. However, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, feel that what you order as a starter determines your overall appetite, as absorption of fat in the small intestine induces the feeling of being full and slows down gastric emptying. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a fatty soup consumed before a meal might reduce food intake in both lean and obese subjects and whether this possible inhibitory effect would be related to changes in gastric functions.