Taste acuity of obese adolescents and changes in food neophobia and food preferences during a weight reduction session.
The relationship between taste acuity and food neophobia, food familiarity and liking has been studied in the context of a residential weight reduction session (WRS; mean duration: 10 months) in 39 obese adolescents. Taste acuity was assessed using recognition thresholds for sucrose, citric acid, sodium chloride and 6-n propylthiouracil (PROP) and supra-threshold perceived intensities for sucrose, sodium chloride and PROP. Food neophobia was assessed by using the food neophobia scale at the beginning and at the end of the WRS. At these time points we used also a food familiarity and liking questionnaire to assess changes in food familiarity and likes or dislikes for different food categories. Taste acuity appeared to mediate behavioural food-related changes during the WRS. High taste acuity was associated with limited reductions in food neophobia; less sensitive subjects showed greater increases in the acceptability of healthy foods, especially fruits and vegetables. Therefore, taste perception (and particularly PROP perception) appears to be a predictor of the magnitude of food-related behavioural change achieved during a WRS.
Monneuse
Marie-Odile
MO
UMR CNRS/MNHN 5145, Eco-Anthropologie et Ethnobiologie, Musée de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75116 Paris, France. monneuse@mnhn.fr
Rigal
Natalie
N
Frelut
Marie-Laure
ML
Hladik
Claude-Marcel
CM
Simmen
Bruno
B
Pasquet
Patrick
P
D000293:Adolescent; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*; D013652:Taste Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D014498:Uracil / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D015431:Weight Loss
D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; C056698:6-n-propyluracil; D019343:Citric Acid; D014498:Uracil