Taste Perception: An Examination of Fat Preference, Sensory Specific Satiety, and the Function of Eating Among Moderately Obese and Normal Weight Women

Abstract

Twenty-seven obese (OB) and sixteen age- and ethnicity-matched normal weight (NW) women were compared on fat preference, functional aspects of food, and sensory specific satiety (SSS). All the women rated the hedonic qualities of high-fat pudding more positively than low-fat pudding. Eating served different functions for the two groups of women. OB women rated "feeling full" and "removing hunger" as more important reasons to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner than did NW women. The importance of "taste" did not differentiate the groups. Different trends in SSS were seen between the NW and OB women, including faster and more dramatic habituation to sweet tastes among the OB women. Some key aspects of taste perception differed between OB and NW women, but other aspects commonly thought to differ, such as fat preference, did not differentiate these groups. Future research should examine the function that eating in general, and taste in particular, play in the development and maintenance of healthy weight status and obesity.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 20, 2001
Accession Number
ADA434840

Entities

People

  • Kimberly L. Kalupa

Organizations

  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Appetite
  • Birds
  • Body Weight
  • Computers
  • Digestive System Processes
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Eating Disorders
  • Education
  • Health Services
  • Hunger
  • Maintenance
  • Medical Personnel
  • New York
  • Perception
  • Psychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Word Processors

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Exercise and Sports Science.
  • Gender and Food Studies