The sensory perception of sweet taste and its correlation with preference and the nutritional condition of adults and adolescents

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity continues to increase, both in adults and children. Among the main etiological factors of the disease is eating behavior, with taste being one of the main determinants for the choice and acceptance of food. However, the existing data on the relationship between taste sensitivity and Body Mass Index (BMI) are insufficient. Thus, the current study aims to evaluate whether the perception of intensity and sensory preference of sweet taste is related to the classification based on the BMI of adolescents and adults. For this purpose, height and weight measurements; the ability to distinguish between ordering (sweet taste intensity) and affective (preference) tests, were conducted with teenagers and adults. The results showed that overweight groups, both adults and adolescents, need a higher sugar content to be able to differentiate the sweet taste, unlike the eutrophic groups, which were able to distinguish the 3 samples. Only the adolescent group showed a significant preference difference for the sample with and without added sugar when it came to the overweight groups. Adults and teenagers showed that the sample with no additional sugar was the least preferred among the eutrophic groups.