title: Effects of a diagnosis or family history of alcoholism on the taste intensity and hedonic value of sucrose.
abstract: Given inconsistent findings in published studies, we examined whether a personal lifetime history of alcohol dependence (AD) or a parental history of alcoholism affected preference for sweet solutions. Ninety-three alcohol-dependent subjects rated the intensity and hedonic value of five different sucrose solutions, which was compared with similar data from 122 subjects screened to exclude alcohol dependence. The effect of a family history of alcoholism (FH) was examined in the AD group. Neither the diagnosis of AD nor a family history of alcoholism was associated with ratings of sweetness intensity or sweet preference. These findings do not support the hypothesis that sucrose preference is positively associated with either a personal lifetime history of AD or a family history of alcoholism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Alcohol Research Center, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-2103, USA.
authors.forename: Kristen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.forename: Jessica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bona
authors.forename: Henry R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kranzler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology*; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D012016:Reference Values; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013395:Sucrose; D013649:Taste; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013395:Sucrose