Studies were carried out on eight obese (BMI 30-34.6 kg/m2) and seven age and sex-matched normal weight volunteers (BMI 20-25 kg/m2) to investigate the gastric emptying, mouth to caecum transit time (MCTT), plasma cholecystokinin (CCK) and sensory responses to high (30 g margarine; 1327 kJ (317 kcal)) and low (301 kJ (72 kcal)) fat soups. Gastric emptying was measured by gamma scintigraphy, MCTT was measured by the breath hydrogen technique, plasma CCK was measured using a bioassay technique and subjective sensations were recorded on visual analogue scales. The high fat meal emptied more slowly than the low fat meal in both the normal subjects (t1/2= 86.3+/-9.2 vs. 36.7+/-2.8 min) but there were no differences in the emptying of either meal between the two groups of subjects. Increasing the fat content of the meal did not affect the mouth to caecum transit time (MCTT) in either group, nor were there differences between the groups in MCTT (180+/-23 vs. 188+/-35 min, normal vs. obese MCTT after low fat soup; 228+/-17 vs. 227+/-29 min, normal vs. obese MCTT after high fat soup). Despite similar rates of gastric emptying, the obese group showed a higher CCK production following the high fat meal than the normal weight group (540.4+/-65.9 vs. 336.9+/-51.4 pmol. min, 2 h integrated CCK production, obese vs. normal; P< 0.05). The obese group also reported feeling less hungry throughout the study than the controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)