Nutrition claims influence expectations about food attributes, attenuate activity in reward-associated brain regions during tasting, but do not impact pleasantness

Abstract

Introduction: Nutrition claims are one of the most common tools used to improve food decisions. Previous research has shown that nutrition claims impact expectations; however, their effects on perceived pleasantness, valuation, and their neural correlates are not well understood. These claims may have both intended and unintended effects on food perception and valuation, which may compromise their effect on food decisions.

Methods: We investigated the effects of nutrition claims on expectations, perceptions, and valuation of milk-mix drinks in a behavioral (n = 110) and an fMRI (n = 39) study. In the behavioral study, we assessed the effects of a "fat-reduced" and a "protein-rich" nutrition claim on expected and perceived food attributes of otherwise equal food products. In the fMRI study, we investigated the effect of a "protein-rich" claim on taste pleasantness perception and valuation, and on their neural correlates during tasting and swallowing.

Results: We found that both nutrition claims increased expected and perceived healthiness and decreased expected but not perceived taste pleasantness. The "protein-rich" claim increased expected but not perceived satiating quality ratings, while the "fat-reduced" claim decreased both expected and perceived satiating quality ratings. In the absence vs. presence of the "protein-rich" claim, we observed an increased activity in a cluster extending to the left nucleus accumbens during tasting and an increased functional connectivity between this cluster and a cluster in right middle frontal gyrus during swallowing.

Conclusion: Altogether, we found that nutrition claims impacted expectations and attenuated reward-related responses during tasting but did not negatively affect perceived pleasantness. Our findings support highlighting the presence of nutrients with positive associations and exposure to foods with nutrition claims to increase their acceptance. Our study offers insights that may be valuable in designing and optimizing the use of nutrition claims.

Keywords: expectations; fMRI; food attributes; nutrition claims; taste pleasantness perception; valuation.