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Quantifying sweet taste liker phenotypes: time for some consistency in the classification criteria

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Version 2 2023-06-12, 08:57
Version 1 2023-06-09, 16:27
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-12, 08:57 authored by Vasiliki Iatridi, John E Hayes, Martin YeomansMartin Yeomans
Taste hedonics is a well-documented driver of food consumption. The role of sweetness in directing ingestive behavior is largely rooted in biology. One can then intuit that individual differences in sweet-liking may constitute an indicator of variations in the susceptibility to diet-related health outcomes. Despite half a century of research on sweet-liking, the best method to identify the distinct responses to sweet taste is still debated. To help resolve this issue, liking and intensity ratings for eight sucrose solutions ranging from 0 to 1 M were collected from 148 young adults (29% men). Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) revealed three response patterns: a sweet-liker (SL) phenotype characterized by a rise in liking as concentration increased, an inverted U-shaped phenotype with maximum liking at 0.25 M, and a sweet-disliker (SD) phenotype characterized by a decline in liking as a function of concentration. Based on sensitivity and specificity analyses, present data suggest the clearest discrimination between phenotypes is seen with 1.0 M sucrose, where a liking rating between -15 and +15 on a -50/+50 scale reliably distinguished individuals with an inverted U-shaped response from the SLs and the SDs. If the efficacy of this approach is confirmed in other populations, the discrimination criteria identified here can serve as the basis for a standard method for classifying sweet taste liker phenotypes in adults.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Published version

Journal

Nutrients

ISSN

2072-6643

Publisher

MDPI

Issue

1

Volume

11

Page range

1-24

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-01-09

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-01-09

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-01-07

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