Phenotypic differences in taste hedonics: the effects of sweet liking

Phenotypic differences in sweet liking are well known, but how they relate to actual eating habits and liking for other taste qualities remains unclear. In Experiment One (222 participants), we explored if the three sweet-liking phenotypes (extreme sweet-likers, moderate sweet-likers and sweet dislikers) differed in liking for foods and beverages commonly associated with obesogenic westernised diets categorised into three groups (high fat, high sugar, or high fat-sugar) alongside rated liking for foods grouped by five taste qualities (bitter, fatty, salty, spicy and sweet foods). Multiple linear regression models found significant differences between the sweet-liking phenotypes in liking for foods classified as high fat-sugar and high sugar, as well as for sweet foods but not for other taste qualities, with extreme sweet-likers rating liking for these foods significantly higher than sweet dislikers. No other significant differences between the three phenotypes were found. Experiment Two (298 participants) aimed to replicate these findings and investigate if an increased liking for these foods translates into higher intake using a high fat-sugar food frequency questionnaire. Again, extreme sweet-likers rated liking for sweet foods and foods grouped as high fat-sugar significantly higher than sweet dislikers but also disliked bitter foods more. No other significant differences were found, including no differences in the frequency of consumption of these foods. Overall, these data suggest that phenotypic differences in sweet taste liking may be specific to liking for foods high in sweetness only and do not generalise to real-life consumption or liking for other taste qualities unless sweetness is also present.