title: Associations between liking for fat, sweet or salt and obesity risk in French adults: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Individual sensory liking appears to be an important determinant of dietary intake and may consequently influence weight status. Cross-sectional studies have shown positive association between fat liking and weight status and equivocal results regarding salt and sweet liking. Moreover, the contribution of dietary intake to explain this relationship has not been studied yet. We investigated the prospective association between sensory liking for fat, sweet or salt and the onset of obesity over 5 years in adults, and the mediating effect of dietary intake.
  
  
  METHODS
  We prospectively examine the risk of obesity among 24,776 French adults participating in the NutriNet-Santé cohort study. Liking scores and dietary data were assessed at baseline using a validated web-based questionnaire and 24 h records, respectively. Self-reported anthropometric data were collected using web-based questionnaire, each year during 5 years. Associations between quartiles of liking for fat, sweet or salt and obesity risk, and the mediating effect of diet were assessed by multivariate Cox proportional hazards models stratified by gender, adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both genders, sensory liking for fat was associated with an increased risk of obesity (hazard ratios for quartile 4 compared to quartile 1, men: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 2.39 (95% CI 1.39,4.11) P-trend = 0.0005, women: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 2.02 (1.51,2.71) P-trend = <0.0001). Dietary intake explained 32% in men and 52% in women of the overall variation of liking for fat in obesity. Sensory liking for sweet was associated with a decreased risk of obesity (men: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 0.51 (0.31,0.83) P-trend = 0.01, women: HR(Q4vs.Q1) = 0.72 (0.54,0.96) P-trend = 0.035). No significant association between salt liking and the risk of obesity was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Unlike sweet and salt liking, higher liking for fat appears to be a major risk factor of obesity, largely explained by dietary intake. Our findings emphasize the need to centrally position sensory liking in obesity prevention.
authors.affiliation: Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie et Statistiques, Inserm (U1153), Inra (U1125), Cnam, COMUE Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris 13, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, F-93017, Bobigny Cedex, France. a.lampure@eren.smbh.univ-paris13.fr.
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7188-0258
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lampuré
authors.affiliation: Institut de veille sanitaire (InVS), Unité de surveillance et d'épidémiologie nutritionnelle (USEN), Université Paris 13, F-93017, Bobigny, France.|Ecole de Santé Publique, Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie, Biostatistiques et Recherche Clinique, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1070, Bruxelles, Belgique.
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Castetbon
authors.affiliation: Inra, UMR 1253, Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Œuf, Rennes, France.|Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, UMR 1324 Inra, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Amélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deglaire
authors.affiliation: Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, UMR 6265 CNRS, UMR 1324 Inra, Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schlich
authors.affiliation: Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie et Statistiques, Inserm (U1153), Inra (U1125), Cnam, COMUE Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris 13, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, F-93017, Bobigny Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Péneau
authors.affiliation: Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie et Statistiques, Inserm (U1153), Inra (U1125), Cnam, COMUE Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris 13, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, F-93017, Bobigny Cedex, France.|Institut de veille sanitaire (InVS), Unité de surveillance et d'épidémiologie nutritionnelle (USEN), Université Paris 13, F-93017, Bobigny, France.|Département de Santé Publique, Hôpital Avicenne (AP-HP), Bobigny, F-93017, France.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hercberg
authors.affiliation: Equipe de Recherche en Epidémiologie Nutritionnelle, Centre de Recherche en Epidémiologie et Statistiques, Inserm (U1153), Inra (U1125), Cnam, COMUE Sorbonne Paris Cité, Université Paris 13, 74 rue Marcel Cachin, F-93017, Bobigny Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Méjean
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary
keywords: Dietary intake; Fat sensation; Mediating factor; Obesity; Salty taste; Sensory liking; Sweet taste