title: Bitter taste phenotype and body weight predict children's selection of sweet and savory foods at a palatable test-meal.
abstract: Previous studies show that children who are sensitive to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) report more frequent intake of sweets and less frequent intake of meats (savory fats) relative to children who are PROP insensitive. Laboratory studies are needed to confirm these findings. In this study, seventy-nine 4- to 6-year-olds from diverse ethnicities attended four laboratory sessions, the last of which included a palatable buffet consisting of savory-fats (e.g. pizza), sweet-fats (e.g. cookies, cakes), and sweets (e.g. juices, candies). PROP phenotype was classified by two methods: 1) a common screening procedure to divide children into tasters and nontasters, and 2) a three-concentration method used to approximate PROP thresholds. Height and weight were measured and saliva was collected for genotyping TAS2R38, a bitter taste receptor related to the PROP phenotype. Data were analyzed by General Linear Model ANOVA with intake from savory fats, sweet-fats, and sweets as dependent variables and PROP status as the independent variable. BMI z-score, sex, age, and ethnicity were included as covariates. Adjusted energy intake from the food group "sweets" at the test-meal was greater for tasters than for nontasters. PROP status did not influence children's adjusted intake of savory-fats, but BMI z-score did. The TAS2R38 genotype did not impact intake at the test-meal. At a palatable buffet, PROP taster children preferentially consumed more sweets than nontaster children, while heavier children consumed more savory fats. These findings may have implications for understanding differences in susceptibility to hyperphagia.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University Medical Center, 1090 Amsterdam Avenue 14A, New York, NY 10025, USA. Electronic address: klk37@psu.edu.
authors.forename: Kathleen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science/Sensory and Consumer Science, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 30, 1958 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Annemarie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Terri L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Cravener
authors.affiliation: Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Food Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue, Room 620, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Wendy K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue, Room 620, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Liyong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, 1150 St. Nicholas Avenue, Room 620, New York, NY 10032, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lanzano
authors.affiliation: New York Nutrition Obesity Research Center, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, Columbia University Medical Center, 1090 Amsterdam Avenue 14A, New York, NY 10025, USA.
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meyermann
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D010641:Phenotype; D011441:Propylthiouracil; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics; D013650:Taste Buds; D055697:Taste Perception / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; C562003:TAS2R8 protein, human; D011441:Propylthiouracil
keywords: Bitter taste; Children; Eating behavior; Obesity; PROP phenotype