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Investigating the Relationships between Taste Preferences and Beverage Intake in Preadolescents
Eva Winzer1, Marlies Wallner2, Anna Lena Aufschnaiter2
1Centre for Public Health, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 28, 2023
Summary
This study explored the link between taste perception and beverage consumption habits. While a clear connection wasn't found, adolescents with overweight or obesity consumed more free sugars from beverages.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Human Physiology
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are linked to negative health outcomes.
- Understanding factors influencing beverage choice is crucial for public health.
- Taste perception may play a role in dietary habits and associated health metrics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between taste perception (sweet, bitter, salty), beverage preferences, and anthropometric measurements.
- To examine how taste sensitivity relates to the frequency and type of beverage consumption.
- To identify potential links between taste perception, body composition, and sugar intake from beverages.
Main Methods:
- Assessed taste perception using sucrose, sugar-sweetened apple juice, and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) for sweetness, bitterness, and saltiness.
- Administered a questionnaire to gather data on beverage intake frequency and preferences.
- Collected anthropometric data, including Body Mass Index (BMI) percentiles and waist circumference.
Main Results:
- No definitive relationship was found between general taste perception, anthropometrics, and beverage intake.
- In males, bitter perception of PROP correlated positively with BMI percentiles and waist circumference.
- Adolescents with overweight or obesity showed significantly higher intake of free sugars from beverages.
- Sweet taste liking and intensity ratings for apple juice increased with concentration.
Conclusions:
- The precise role of taste perception in influencing anthropometric measures and beverage consumption patterns requires further research.
- Specific taste sensitivities, like bitter perception in males, may show some association with adiposity indicators.
- Higher free sugar intake from beverages is evident in adolescents with overweight or obesity, irrespective of taste perception findings.
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