Enhanced sweet taste perception in obesity: Joint analysis of gustatory data from multiple studies

Gabriela Ribeiro; Sandra Torres; Ana B Fernandes; Marta Camacho; Teresa L Branco; Sandra S Martins; Armando Raimundo; Albino J Oliveira-Maia; Food Reward in Bariatric Surgery Portuguese Study Group

doi:10.3389/fnut.2022.1028261

Enhanced sweet taste perception in obesity: Joint analysis of gustatory data from multiple studies

Front Nutr. 2022 Dec 20:9:1028261. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1028261. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Gabriela Ribeiro^{1

2}, Sandra Torres^{3

4}, Ana B Fernandes^{1

5}, Marta Camacho¹, Teresa L Branco⁶, Sandra S Martins^{7

8}, Armando Raimundo^{9

10}, Albino J Oliveira-Maia^{1

5}; Food Reward in Bariatric Surgery Portuguese Study Group

Affiliations

¹ Champalimaud Research and Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal.
² Lisbon Academic Medical Centre PhD Program, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
³ Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁴ Centro de Psicologia da Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
⁵ NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, NMS, FCM, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
⁶ Exercise and Health Laboratory, CIPER, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Cruz Quebrada, Portugal.
⁷ Universidade Europeia, Lisbon, Portugal.
⁸ Instituto de Saúde Ambiental (ISAMB), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
⁹ Departamento de Desporto e Saúde, Escola de Saúde e Desenvolvimento Humano, Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
¹⁰ Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.

Abstract

Introduction: While sweet taste perception is a potential determinant of feeding behavior in obesity, the supporting evidence is inconsistent and is typically associated with methodological limitations. Notably, possible associations between sweet taste perception and measures of food reward remain undetermined.

Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis comparing 246 individuals with severe obesity and 174 healthy volunteers using a validated method for taste perception assessment. We included gustatory variables, namely intensity and pleasantness ratings of sour, salt, sweet, and bitter tastants, and taste thresholds assessed by electrogustometry. Reward-related feeding behavior, including hedonic hunger, food addiction, feeding behavior traits, and acceptance of foods and alcohol, was evaluated using self-rated scales for comparison with gustatory measures.

Result: In logistic regressions adjusted for age, gender, educational level, and research center, we found that a greater likelihood of belonging to the obesity group was associated with higher sweet intensity ratings (OR = 1.4, P = 0.01), hedonic hunger, food addiction symptoms, restrained and emotional eating (1.7 < OR ≤ 4.6, all P ≤ 0.001), and lower alcohol acceptance (OR = 0.6, P = 0.0002). Using principal component analysis, we found that while hedonic hunger, food addiction, and emotional eating were strongly interrelated, they were not associated with sweet intensity perception that, in turn, had a closer relationship with alcohol acceptance and restrained eating.

Conclusion: We found that individuals with obesity report higher sweet taste intensity ratings than healthy controls. Furthermore, while psychological measures of reward-related feeding behavior assess a common construct, sweet intensity perception may represent a different obesity-related dimension.

Keywords: food reward; gustation; hedonic hunger; obesity; reward-related feeding behavior; sweet taste; taste perception.

Grants and funding

950357/ERC_/European Research Council/International