No Difference in Perceived Intensity of Linoleic Acid in the Oral Cavity between Obese and Nonobese Individuals

Abstract

Findings from studies examining interactions between fat taste and dietary fat intake or body weight are mixed. A convenience sample of 735 visitors to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science ≥8 years old rated the taste intensity of edible taste strips impregnated with varying concentrations (%v/v) of linoleic acid (LA) (blank = 0.0, low = 0.06, medium = 0.15, high = 0.38). Percent body fat (BF%) was measured using bioelectrical impedance. Fat taste intensity was rated as significantly different across all concentrations (P < 0.001) except between the blank and low concentrations (P = 0.1). Ratings increased monotonically across concentrations. Children (<18 years; N = 180) rated all concentrations as more intense than adults (P < 0.001 for all). Women and girls rated the highest concentration as more intense than men and boys (P < 0.02 for all). BF% was not correlated with fat taste intensity ratings. Self-reported dietary intake indicated that obese individuals’ intensity ratings for medium and high concentrations of LA were inversely related to recent mono- and poly-unsaturated fat exposure (r = −0.19 to −0.27; P < 0.03 for all). No such associations were observed in the nonobese group. Findings suggest that factors other than simple adiposity status influence fat taste intensity ratings, and that participants in fat taste studies should receive standardized meals prior to testing.

Comparisons of Fatty Acid Taste Detection Thresholds in People Who Are Lean vs. Overweight or Obese: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Other studies find no association between taste sensitivity to NEFA and adiposity [6,7,10,14,16,17]. The absence of a relationship between taste sensitivity and body weight is in agreement with work that has examined relationships between other prototypical primary taste qualities and body mass index (BMI) [28–33].…”

“…A total of 9 studies met our inclusion and exclusion criteria [6–8,10,12,14,16,17,26]. Table 1 contains a list of descriptions about these studies.…”

“…This evidence includes a growing body of human psychophysical work, e.g. [6–17] as well as identification of receptors in human lingual epithelium [18,19] and transduction mechanisms [20]).…”

“…Like umami, the sensory quality of NEFA is difficult to describe, but recent work indicates it is a unique sensation [5]. With taste playing an important role in food selection and the considerable inter-individual variation in oleogustus sensitivity that has been previously documented, e.g., 2–4 orders of magnitude [13,25], explorations of the relationships between adiposity, food intake, and taste sensitivity to NEFA [6–17] have occurred.…”

Oral Fatty Acid Sensitivity among Obesity Resistant and Obesity Susceptible Individuals

“…However, this is a cross-sectional study, which does not allow for causal inferences. In addition, it is important to note there is large inter-individual variability in perceived intensity [17] and threshold [18] for fatty acid. A limitation of the present study was that we classified our participants as hyper-and hyposensitive to 1.4 mM of oleic acid, rather than performing a threshold test using a range of concentrations.…”