Positive association between bitter taste threshold and preference of vegetables among adolescents

Better understanding of aspects of taste in adolescents is needed since it has bearings on food policies, food industry and pharmaceutical design. Furthermore, taste preferences likely play a role in overeating and anorexia. We aimed to validate a questionnaire about taste preferences and dietary habits along with measurements of sense of smell and taste.

We included adolescents from nearby schools in Aarhus, Denmark, from 2017 to 2019. Scoring preferences and habits on a Likert scale, they completed a food item questionnaire. Their chemosensation was tested by the Sniffin' Sticks and Taste Drop Test.

We included 100 adolescents: 53 males, 47 females; average age: 15.9 years (12-17 years). Retest of the questionnaire showed good reliability (Cohen's kappa: 0.5953). Snacks scored the highest average liking (4.48), whereas starches had the highest frequency of consumption (3.64). Bitter taste threshold was positively associated with liking and familiarity with vegetables (P = .032; P = .012), respectively. Healthy self-reported dietary habits were associated with a higher self-reported consumption of vegetables and a decreased consumption of snacks.

Adolescents preferred unhealthy food items, but they also reported more frequent consumption of healthy than unhealthy food items. A higher threshold for the bitter taste, that is, being less sensitive to bitter taste, was associated with higher liking and familiarity of vegetables.