Genetic differences in fat taste sensitivity and dietary intake in a UK female cohort

Abstract Objectives Taste perception (sensitivity) may be determined by genetic variations in taste receptors and it affects food intake. Lower fat taste sensitivity is associated with higher dietary fat intake and body mass index (BMI). Recently, associations between bitter and fat taste sensitivity have been reported whereby bitter taste perception may be involved in textural perception of dietary fat. However, it is not clear if lower sensitivity to bitter taste would lead to an actual higher fat intake. Our objectives were to explore the associations between haplotypes in the bitter taste receptor TAS2R38, bitter taste sensitivity and fat intake and if bitter taste sensitivity is lower in individuals with higher BMI. Methods Ethical approval was obtained from the St Mary's and Oxford Brookes University Ethics Committee. Eighty-eight healthy Caucasian participants (44% male and 56% female; mean BMI 24.9 ± 4.8 kg/m2 and mean age 35 ± 14 years) completed this cross-sectional study. Height and weight were measured and genotyping performed for rs713598, rs1726866, rs10246939 genetic variants in the TAS2R38. Haplotypes were determined with Haploview software. Participants rated the intensity of a phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) impregnated strip on the general Labelled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) to determine bitter taste sensitivity and were classified as bitter tasters and non-tasters. Dietary fat intake was calculated from the EPIC-Norfolk Food Frequency Questionnaire and expressed as % total energy intake. Results TAS2R38 haplotypes were associated with bitter taster status (P < 0.005). PTC ratings of intensity were negatively correlated with % saturated fat (SFA) intake (rs = −0.256, P = 0.016). %SFA and %total fat (rs = 0.656, P < 0.005) and %total fat and energy intake (kcal) (rs = 0.225, P = 0.035) were positively correlated. Normal weight participants rated PTC strips as more intense compared to overweight and obese participants (mean rank 53 vs. 41, P = 0.033). Conclusions Bitter taste perception is determined by genetics and lower sensitivity to this taste is associated with higher intake of SFA. Lower bitter taste sensitivity in overweight/obese participants suggests that impaired bitter taste may be associated with an overall unhealthier and more energy dense dietary pattern. Funding Sources St Mary's and Oxford Brookes University.

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Longitudinal Associations Between Taste Sensitivity, Taste Liking, Dietary Intake and BMI in Adolescents

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.597704 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Afroditi Papantoni ◽

Grace E. Shearrer ◽

Jennifer R. Sadler ◽

Eric Stice ◽

Kyle S. Burger

Keyword(s):

Dietary Intake ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Sweet Taste ◽

Taste Sensitivity ◽

Lower Sensitivity ◽

Healthy Weight ◽

High Fat ◽

Low Fat ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

High Sugar

Taste sensitivity and liking drive food choices and ingestive behaviors from childhood to adulthood, yet their longitudinal association with dietary intake and BMI is largely understudied. Here, we examined the longitudinal relationship between sugar and fat sensitivity, sugar and fat liking, habitual dietary intake, and BMI percentiles in a sample of 105 healthy-weight adolescents (baseline: BMI %tile 57.0 ± 24.3; age 14–16 years) over a 4-year period. Taste sensitivity was assessed via a triangle fat and sweet taste discrimination test. Taste liking were rated on a visual analog scale for four milkshakes that varied in sugar and fat contents (high-fat/high-sugar (HF/HS), low-fat/high-sugar (LF/HS), high-fat/low-sugar (HF/LS), low-fat/low-sugar (LF/LS) milkshakes). A modified version of the reduced Block Food Frequency Questionnaire (BFFQ) was used to assess dietary intake. All measurements were repeated annually. Repeated measures correlations and linear mixed effects models were used to model the associations between the variables. Sugar sensitivity was negatively associated with liking for the LF/HS milkshake over the 4-year period. Low sugar sensitivity at baseline predicted increases in BMI percentile over time, but this association didn’t survive a correction for multiple comparisons. Percent daily intake from fat was positively associated with liking for the HF/HS milkshake and negatively associated with liking for the LF/LS milkshake over 4 years. Together, these results demonstrate that lower sensitivity to sweet taste is linked to increased hedonic response to high-sugar foods and increased energy intake from fat seems to condition adolescents to show increased liking for high-fat/high-sugar foods.

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Genetic variation in CD36 is associated with dietary intake in Korean males

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114520003748 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Jeong-Hwa Choi

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Vegetable Intake ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

Cellular Membrane ◽

Dietary Behaviour ◽

Taste Intensity ◽

Fat Intake ◽

Cruciferous Vegetable ◽

Fat Taste

Abstract Fat is one of the six types of taste. Perceived taste intensity could affect the preference for a food and whether or not it is consumed. Cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) translocates fatty acids on the cellular membrane and is involved in the oral fat-sensing mechanism. Therefore, genetic variation rs1761667 in CD36 is known to be associated with the perception of fat taste and, hence, its dietary intake. This study examined whether CD36 rs1527479 T>C, a proxy of rs1761667, is associated with fat intake and related dietary behaviour in Koreans. Using the data of the Ansan/Ansung Study, a part of the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study, the association of rs1527479 with the intake of macronutrients, including fat and selected foods, and fat-related dietary behaviours were investigated in 3194 males and 3425 females grouped by their degree of obesity. The findings suggested that rs1527479 did not have a meaningful effect on the intake of fat or other macronutrients or on the selection of food among non-obese females and males. However, in males with obesity, the genetic variation showed a significant association with vegetable intake. Obese males with the mutant CC genotype had substantially lower cruciferous vegetable consumption (adjusted P = 0·0015) than individuals with the TT and CT genotypes. Rs1527479 had no significant effect on the frequency of consuming fried foods or commonly used types of seasoning and cooking oils. In conclusion, CD36 genetic variation was associated with the intake of cruciferous vegetables but not fat intake in obese Korean males.

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07 / The fat taste sensitivity and its role in food intake: a randomized controlled study

10.26226/morressier.5b1a467d3b823805c63bffb2 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Elif Esra Ozturk Duran ◽

Derya Dikmen

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Randomized Controlled Study ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Taste Sensitivity ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Fat Taste

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Effect of dietary fat intake and genetics on fat taste sensitivity: a co-twin randomized controlled trial

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1093/ajcn/nqy022 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 107 (5) ◽

pp. 683-694 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Andrew Costanzo ◽

Caryl Nowson ◽

Liliana Orellana ◽

Dieuwerke Bolhuis ◽

Konsta Duesing ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Dietary Fat ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Taste Sensitivity ◽

Fat Intake ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Dietary Fat Intake ◽

Fat Taste

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Dietary fat restriction increases fat taste sensitivity in people with obesity

Obesity ◽

10.1002/oby.21357 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 328-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Lisa P. Newman ◽

Dieuwerke P. Bolhuis ◽

Susan J. Torres ◽

Russell S.J. Keast

Keyword(s):

Dietary Fat ◽

Taste Sensitivity ◽

Fat Taste

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Taste Preferences and Taste Sensitivity: Associations with Food Preferences, Dietary Intake and Body Composition

The FASEB Journal ◽

10.1096/fasebj.20.4.a175 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Anna C Krueger ◽

Galen D Eldridge ◽

Malinda M Gehrke ◽

Jennifer C Lovejoy ◽

Samer Koutoubi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Food Preferences ◽

Taste Sensitivity ◽

Taste Preferences

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The Association between Fat Taste Sensitivity, Eating Habits, and Metabolic Health in Menopausal Women

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13124506 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (12) ◽

pp. 4506

Author(s):

Aleksandra Skoczek-Rubińska ◽

Agata Chmurzynska ◽

Agata Muzsik-Kazimierska ◽

Joanna Bajerska

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Eating Habits ◽

Taste Sensitivity ◽

Acid Sensitivity ◽

Menopausal Women ◽

Postmenopausal Status ◽

Fat Taste ◽

Eating Occasions

The aim of our study was to evaluate the associations between sensitivity to fat taste, eating habits and BMI value in a sample of menopausal Polish women. In a population of 95 women, fat taste thresholds with oleic acid were determined, allowing us to classify each woman as a hypersensitive or hyposensitive taster. Eating habits were assessed using a validated KomPAN questionnaire for food frequency. Dietary intake was evaluated based on a food diary. Selected biochemical parameters were measured using a Konelab20i biochemical analyzer. Anthropometric parameters and blood pressure were also measured. Twenty-two menopausal women were classified as hyposensitive to fat taste and 73 as hypersensitive. The hyposensitive tasters were significantly older (p = 0.006), with the majority of them (92%) being postmenopausal (p < 0.001); this group had significantly higher BMI values (p < 0.001) and other adiposity indicators compared to their hypersensitive counterparts. The hyposensitive tasters had higher blood pressure (systolic blood pressure; SBP p = 0.030; diastolic blood pressure; DBP p = 0.003), glucose (p = 0.011) and triacylglycerols levels than the hypersensitive tasters (p = 0.031). Almost half of them had diagnosed metabolic syndrome. Daily eating occasions were associated with low oral fatty acid sensitivity, irrespective of age (p = 0.041) and BMI value (p = 0.028). There were also significant associations between frequency of consumption of meats and eggs, as well as snacks and fast foods and low oral fatty acid sensitivity before adjustment for potential confounders (both associations p < 0.05), which remained after adjustment for age (both associations p < 0.05), but not after adjustment for BMI. A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher BMI value (p = 0.003), along with postmenopausal status (p = 0.003), were associated with low fat taste sensitivity irrespective of age and consumed percentage energy from fat. Postmenopausal status and BMI are associated with low fat taste sensitivity. Fat hyposensitivity may also play a role in eating habits, leading to increased eating occasions and favoring certain types of food. These eating habits may determine increased body weight and the occurrence of metabolic syndrome in mid-life women, especially those who have undergone menopause and have been exposed to the physiological changes which are conducive to these relationships.

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