Association Between Preference for Sweets and Excessive Alcohol Intake: A Review of Animal and Human Studies

Kampov‐Polevoy, Alexey B.

doi:10.1093/alcalc/34.3.386

Cited by 188 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 71 publications

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“…It is also curious that for PTC, the non-taster allele is associated with higher alcohol intake (among people who are not problem drinkers) but the non-taster allele is associated with lower sweet preference, at least in children. This observation is inconsistent with the greater sweet preference in alcoholics [51]. Taste could be a more important regulator of alcohol consumption than previously appreciated [107], but the interactions among sweet liking, alcohol consumption and taste will no doubt be more complex than a simple one-to-one correspondence between genotype and behavior.…”

Section: Genotype-phenotype Studiesmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…Family studies of addiction have demonstrated that alcoholics and their family members prefer sweeter solutions than do nonalcoholic family members, suggesting that alcohol and sweeteners may share similar brain reward pathways [51]. The hypothesis that the rewarding properties of opioid-receptor-stimulating drugs and sweet taste are controlled by a common neural substrate is upheld further by the ability of naloxone, an opioid antagonist, to reduce both the positive properties of opiates and the preference for the taste of sweet [52,53].…”

Section: Nerves and Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other investigators conducted a study on the sweet preferences of DZ and MZ twins, matched for their alcoholic tendencies, by questionnaire and found a small but significant amount of heritability for this trait [90]. However, if alcoholism and sweet preferences are linked through common reward pathways, it is possible those twins selected for common alcoholic tendencies may also share the common genes that contribute to both their desire for alcohol and for sweet taste [51]. If this is the case, this study design could dilute the ability to detect the true heritability of the trait.…”

Section: Family and Twin Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diverse tastes: Genetics of sweet and bitter perception

Reed

Tanaka

McDaniel

2006

Physiology & Behavior

163

129

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Humans will eat almost anything, from caribou livers to rutabagas, but there are some types of foods, and their associated taste qualities, that are preferred by large groups of people regardless of culture or experience. When many choices are available, humans chose foods that taste good, that is, create pleasing sensations in the mouth. The concept of good taste for most people encompasses both flavor and texture of food, and these sensations merge with taste proper to form the concept of goodness. Although we acknowledge the universality of the goodness (sweet) or badness (bitter) of basic taste qualities, we also find that people differ, sometimes extremely so, in their ability to perceive and enjoy these qualities and, by extension, food and drink. The reasons for these differences among people are not clear but are probably due to a combination of experience beginning at an early age, perhaps in utero; learning, for example, as with conditioned taste aversions; sex and maturity; and perceptual differences that arise from genetic variation. In this review, we focus on individual variations that arise from genetic differences and review two domains of science: recent developments in the molecular biology of taste transduction, with a focus on the genes involved and second, studies that examine biological relatives to determine the heritability of taste perception. Because the receptors for sweet, savory (umami), and bitter have recently been discovered, we summarize what is known about their function by reviewing the effect of naturally occurring and man-made alleles of these receptors, their shape and function based on receptor modeling techniques, and how they differ across animal species that vary in their ability to taste certain qualities. We discuss this literature in the context of how taste genes may differ among people and give rise to individuated taste experience, and what is currently known about the genetic effects on taste perception in humans.

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Section: Genotype-phenotype Studiesmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Nerves and Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Family and Twin Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Diverse tastes: Genetics of sweet and bitter perception

Reed

Tanaka

McDaniel

2006

Physiology & Behavior

163

129

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…[36][37][38][39] In humans, opiate-dependent subjects on methadone maintenance report higher consumption of sweets than control subjects, 40 and subjects diagnosed with alcohol dependence or cocaine abuse/dependence tend to prefer sweeter sucrose solutions than controls. 41,42 After reviewing the similarities between the effects of sugar ingestion and those related to drug addiction, Avena et al 43 conclude that under some circumstances, sugar can be addictive. Among the behavioral evidence supporting this view is the observation of signs of opioid withdrawal after naloxone is given to the rats maintained on a cyclic regimen of access to a glucose solution.…”

Section: Interactions Between Palatability and Drugs Of Abusementioning

confidence: 99%

Reward systems and food intake: role of opioids

2009

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Humans eat for many reasons, including the rewarding qualities of foods. A host of neurotransmitters have been shown to influence eating behavior and some of these appear to be involved in reward-induced eating. Endogenous opioid peptides and their receptors were first reported more than 30 years ago, and studies suggesting a role of opioids in the regulation of food intake date back nearly as far. Opioid agonists and antagonists have corresponding stimulatory and inhibitory effects on feeding. In addition to studies aimed at identifying the relevant receptor subtypes and sites of action within the brain, there has been a continuing interest in the role of opioids on diet/taste preferences, food reward, and the overlap of food reward with others types of reward. Data exist that suggest a role for opioids in the control of appetite for specific macronutrients, but there is also evidence for their role in the stimulation of intake based on already-existing diet or taste preferences and in controlling intake motivated by hedonics rather than by energy needs. Finally, various types of studies indicate an overlap between mechanisms mediating drug reward and palatable food reward. Preference or consumption of sweet substances often parallels the selfadministration of several drugs of abuse, and under certain conditions, the termination of intermittent access to sweet substances produces symptoms that resemble those observed during opiate withdrawal. The overconsumption of readily available and highly palatable foods likely contributes to the growing rates of obesity worldwide. An understanding of the role of opioids in mediating food reward and promoting the overconsumption of palatable foods may provide insights into new approaches for preventing obesity. Keywords: opioid; palatability; reward; sweet; feeding It is generally recognized that energy intake and expenditure are regulated by a complex network of neurochemical systems. Studies indicating a role for opioids in the regulation of intake date back more than 30 years. The results of numerous studies have provided information about the receptor subtypes involved, the sites of action within the brain, the specific conditions under which opioids influence food intake, and the interaction of opioid systems with other systems that regulate energy balance. Space does not permit a discussion of all aspects of opioids in relation to food intake. Here we will concentrate on three areas of our ongoing research on opioids, with an emphasis on work from our laboratories: the issue of whether opioids stimulate intake of specific macronutrients or of preferred foods, the issue of whether they are primarily involved in the homeostatic or the hedonic aspects of feeding, and whether palatable food, partially through opioid mechanisms, may produce a condition that resembles drug addiction. Opioids and macronutrient intakeSeveral reports from the early 1980s indicated that when rats were allowed to self-select the macronutrient composition of their diets, injections of morphine, ...

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“…A number of researchers have suggested that increased sweet taste response is significantly and positively related to increased risk of extreme alcohol consumption and it has been proposed that the brain reward system may be implicated (Kampov-Polevoy, Eick, Boland, Khalitov, & Crews, 2004;Kampov-Polevoy, Garbutt, & Janowsky, 1999;Lange, Kampov-Polevoy, & Garbutt, 2010). In a previous study, Ghemulet, Baskini, Messinis, Mouza, and Proios (2014) explored any possible relationship between verbal fluency production using verbal fluency tasks (VFT) and a card sorting task in the principal taste domains (i.e.…”

Section: Psychological Thought Psyctpsychopeneu | 2193-7281mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of alcohol on the nature of lexical representations in different taste domains

Baskini¹,

Proios²

2016

Psychol. Thought

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Moderate alcohol consumption may be involved in cognitive feedback mechanisms (Hofmann & Friese, 2008), participants execute verbal fluency test (VFT) better (Cerhan et al., 1998) and there is positive association between sweet taste and excessive alcohol intake (Lange, Kampov-Polevoy, & Garbutt, 2010). We investigate the immediate pharmacological consequences of moderate to light alcohol consumption in verbal fluency and categorical sorting within the different taste domains (i.e. sweet, salty, sour and bitter). Our hypothesis is that subjects under the influence of light to moderate alcohol will produce more items in the sweet domain. 53 healthy adults had moderate alcohol consumption and were compared in two semantic tasks to 53 adults, who did not drink alcohol. Mann-Whitney U tests showed that the total number of clusters, switches, and repetitions were equal between the two groups in all taste domains (p-values: .211, .401, and .684 respectively). The number of responses in the alcohol group generated more disinhibiting intrusive words during the VFTs as compared to the control group (p-value: <.001). VFTs and the order of taste preference in the card-sorting task showed positive correlation and agreement. Light to moderate alcohol did not affect verbal fluency. However, participants under the influence of alcohol generated significantly more errors in the VFTs that were emotionally laden. This corroborates with research that certain emotions are innervated with taste domains. This leaves open question about the effects of alcohol on decision making in eating and executive functions as they relate to lexical representations.

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Association Between Preference for Sweets and Excessive Alcohol Intake: A Review of Animal and Human Studies

Cited by 188 publications

References 71 publications

Diverse tastes: Genetics of sweet and bitter perception

Diverse tastes: Genetics of sweet and bitter perception

Reward systems and food intake: role of opioids

The effect of alcohol on the nature of lexical representations in different taste domains

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