Added flavors: potential contributors to body weight gain and obesity?

Abstract

Background Added flavors are a marker for ultra-processing of food and a strong link exists between the intake of ultra-processed food and the development of obesity. The objective of the present article is to assess animal and human data elucidating the impact of added flavors on the regulation of food intake and body weight gain, as well as to define areas for future research. Main text Mechanistic studies suggest that added flavors induce overeating and body weight gain by two independent mechanisms: Added flavors promote hedonic eating and override homeostatic control of food intake, as well as disrupt flavor-nutrient learning and impair the ability to predict nutrients in food items. Supporting these potential mechanisms, added flavors increase feed intake and body weight as compared to non-flavored control diets in a broad range of animal studies. They are actively promoted by feed additive manufacturers as useful tools to improve palatability, feed intake, and performance parameters. In humans, added flavors are extensively tested concerning toxicity; however, no data exist concerning their impact on food intake and body weight. Conclusions Added flavors are potential contributors to the obesity epidemic and further studies focusing on their role in humans are urgently required. These studies include obesity interventions specifically targeting food items with added flavors and cohort studies on independent associations between added flavor intake and metabolic, as well as cardiovascular, morbidity, and mortality.

Flavour, emulsifiers and colour are the most frequent markers to detect food ultra-processing in a UK food market analysis

“…Evidence has recently been presented that added flavours might induce overeating and body weight gain (25) . Thus, added flavours override homoeostatic control of food intake by the promotion of hedonic eating (25) . Furthermore, they impair the ability to predict nutrients in food items via disruption of flavour-nutrient learning (25) .…”

“…Thus, added flavours override homoeostatic control of food intake by the promotion of hedonic eating (25) . Furthermore, they impair the ability to predict nutrients in food items via disruption of flavour-nutrient learning (25) . Taking these results and our current findings into consideration, added flavours might not only be the MUP detecting the maximum number of UPF, but they might also be ingredients actively promoting obesity and its consequences.…”

“…In accordance with the present findings, extracts/natural flavours and synthetic flavours are present in 42•7 % and 26•5 % of UPF, respectively, in a representative and weighted food offer found in overall French supermarkets (24) . Evidence has recently been presented that added flavours might induce overeating and body weight gain (25) . Thus, added flavours override homoeostatic control of food intake by the promotion of hedonic eating (25) .…”

Diet Preference, Feed Efficiency and Expression of the Sodium-Dependent Glucose Transporter Isoform 1 and Sweet Taste Receptors in the Jejunum of Lambs Supplemented with Different Flavours

“…Flavours can improve the sensory characteristics of the feed, increase voluntary intake of by-product feeds [ 1 , 6 ], restore motivation to eat by enhancing feed acceptability and permit feed formulation changes without affecting feed intake patterns [ 7 , 8 ]. Ruminants are reported to eat unfamiliar feed more willingly when they are associated with a familiar flavour or odour, and avoid the feed when presented with a novel odour.…”

The foods that are addictive

“…Some additives are used by manufacturers to induce craving, and have often been publicized as such [14]. Added flavours in particular might induce overeating and weight gain by promoting hedonic eating and overriding homeostatic control of food intake [15]. Ultra-processed foods usually have fibre, protein and water removed, and texturizers soften the food.…”