Genetic sensitivity to 6-n-propylthiouracil and sensory responses to sugar and fat mixtures.
TL;DR: Genetic sensitivity to PROP was not associated with enhanced perception or altered hedonic response profiles for this range of 15 sugar/fat mixtures, and separating subjects into "likers" and "dislikers" of sweetened dairy products failed to reveal significant links toPROP taster status in this all-female sample.
About: This article is published in Physiology & Behavior.The article was published on 1998-03-01. It has received 98 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Supertaster.
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TL;DR: Modern psychophysics has traveled considerably beyond the threshold measures that dominated sensory studies in the first half of this century and promise to provide increasingly accurate comparisons of perceived intensities across individuals.
Abstract: Modern psychophysics has traveled considerably beyond the threshold measures that dominated sensory studies in the first half of this century. Current methods capture the range of perceived intensity from threshold to maximum and promise to provide increasingly accurate comparisons of perceived intensities across individuals. The application of new psychophysical tools to genetic variation in taste allowed us to discover supertasters, individuals who live in particularly intense taste worlds. Because of the anatomy of the taste system, supertasters feel more burn from oral irritants like chili peppers, more creaminess/ viscosity from fats and thickeners in food and may also experience more intense oral pain. Not surprisingly, these sensory differences influence food choices and thus health. A discussion of the milestones on the road to understanding genetic variation in taste must include discussion of some potholes as well. Often our failures have been as instructive as our successes in the effort to evaluate the impact of genetic variation in taste.
412 citations
Cites background from "Genetic sensitivity to 6-n-propylth..."
...…have been examined by using preference questionnaires (Duffy and Bartoshuk, 1996; Duffy et al., 1999) as well as by having subjects sample sweet (Looy and Weingarten, 1992; Drewnowski et al., 1997a,c; Peterson et al., 1999) or high fat (Tepper and Nurse, 1997, 1998; Drewnowski et al., 1998) foods....
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...Three (Drewnowski et al., 1997c, 1998; Smagghe and Louis-Sylvestre, 1998) found no PROP effects; use of the nine point scale affected both the classification of subjects (i.e. medium and supertasters could not be completely separated) and the scaling of sweetness in these studies....
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TL;DR: The primary goal of this review is to assess the current understanding of the role of the PROP bitter taste phenotype in food selection and body weight in both children and adults.
Abstract: Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of phenylthiocarbamide and 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is a well-studied human trait. It has been hypothesized that this phenotype is a marker for individual differences in taste perception that influence food preferences and dietary behavior with subsequent links to body weight and chronic disease risk. Steady progress has been made over the past several decades in defining the involvement of this phenotype and its underlying gene, TAS2R38, in this complex behavioral pathway. However, more work needs to be done to fully determine its overall nutritional and health significance. The primary goal of this review is to assess our current understanding of the role of the PROP bitter taste phenotype in food selection and body weight in both children and adults. A brief history of the field is included and controversies surrounding the use of different PROP screening methods are addressed. The contribution of other receptors (both bitter and nonbitter) to human taste variation is also discussed.
304 citations
Cites background from "Genetic sensitivity to 6-n-propylth..."
...Most studies (35, 59, 93), but not all (24), have shown that supertasters discriminate fat content and creaminess in laboratory-manipulated, fluid dairy samples more accurately than do nontasters....
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TL;DR: The data suggest that PROP taste sensitivity plays a role in acceptance of certain bitter cruciferous vegetables and cheese by young children, and suggest that gender-specific environmental factors might interact with genetics to influence fat preferences.
278 citations
TL;DR: Female supertasters of PROP bitterness may avoid high-fat or sweet foods because these oral sensations are too intense and thus less pleasant and because condiments (especially those that are salt based) can block bitterness.
Abstract: Objective To determine if individuals who taste 6- n -propylthiouracil (PROP), one marker of genetic variation in taste, as exceptionally bitter can also perceive sugars as sweeter, other bitters as more intense, and dietary fats as more creamy and/or viscous than do individuals who taste PROP as weakly bitter. This study examined the association between genetic variation in taste and acceptance for sweet, high-fat, and bitter foods and beverages. Design Genetic variation was measured by perceived bitterness of PROP. (influenced by genetic, hormonal, and pathologic factors) and density of fungi form papillae on the anterior portion of the tongue (influenced primarily by genetic factors). Four sweet, 3 fat, and 3 bitter groups were derived from principal components analyses of questionnaire items. Subjects Convenience sample of healthy adults (24 women, 22 men; mean age±standard deviation=21±6 years) who did not report high dietary restraint. Statistical analyses Pearson product moment correlations between genetic taste measures and food and beverage groups. Results The sample showed diversity in genetic taste measures: perceived bitterness of 0.0032mol/L PROP ranged from "weak" to well above "very strong"; fungi form papillae densities ranged from 33 to 156 papillae per square centimeter. Distribution of perceived bitterness of PROP and fungi form papillae density differed in women and men. The association between genetic taste measures and acceptance of sweet and high-fat groups differed in women and men. In women, liking of sweet and high-fat food and beverage groups decreased with increasing perceived bitterness of PROP. In men, liking of these foods and beverages increased but with increasing papillae densities. Genetic taste measures were not associated with a dislike of bitter food and beverage groups. Applications The influence of genetic variation in taste on food intake depends on how perceptible sweet, fat, or bitter components are in foods and beverages, as well as the value of sensory factors vs other factors (eg, health, convenience) on personal dietary choices. Female supertasters of PROP bitterness may avoid high-fat or sweet foods because these oral sensations are too intense and thus less pleasant. Supertasters may taste more bitterness in vegetables but still enjoy eating them because of their healthfulness and because condiments (especially those that are salt based) can block bitterness. J Am Diet Assoc. 2000;100:647–655.
272 citations
TL;DR: The ability to taste the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide and related chemicals is bimodal, and all human populations tested to date contain some people who can and somePeople who cannot taste PTC.
Abstract: The ability to taste the bitter compound phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) and related chemicals is bimodal, and all human populations tested to date contain some people who can and some people who cannot taste PTC. Why this trait has been maintained in the population is uncertain but this polymorphism may influence food selection, nutritional status or thyroid metabolism. The gene product that gives rise to this phenotype is unknown, and its characterization would provide insight into the mechanism of bitter taste perception. Although this trait is often considered a simple Mendelian trait, i.e. one gene two alleles, a recent linkage study found a major locus on chromosome 5p15 and evidence for an additional locus on chromosome 7. The development of methods to identify these genes will provide a good stepping-stone between single-gene disorders and polygenic traits.
252 citations
Cites background from "Genetic sensitivity to 6-n-propylth..."
...…Ferris et al. 1991, Frank and van der Klaauw 1994, Noble 1994, Akella 1997, Drewnowski, Henderson and Shore 1997b, Drewnowski et al. 1998a, Drewnowski et al. 1998b), reviewed in (Reed 1999, Mattes and Beauchamp 2000) and therefore further research is needed to understand how PTC genotype…...
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...…Coleman 1990, Anliker, Bartoshuk, Ferris et al. 1991, Frank and van der Klaauw 1994, Noble 1994, Akella 1997, Drewnowski, Henderson and Shore 1997b, Drewnowski et al. 1998a, Drewnowski et al. 1998b), reviewed in (Reed 1999, Mattes and Beauchamp 2000) and therefore further research is needed to…...
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References
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7,158 citations
TL;DR: The EAT was validated using 2 groups of female anorexia nervosa patients and female control subjects and total EAT score was significantly correlated with criterion group membership, suggesting a high level of concurrent validity.
Abstract: Data on the development of a 40-item measure of the symptoms in anorexia nervosa are reported. The scale (EAT) is presented in a 6-point, forced choice, self-report format which is easily administered and scored. The EAT was validated using 2 groups of female anorexia nervosa patients (N = 32 and 33) and female control subjects (N = 34 and 59). Total EAT score was significantly correlated with criterion group membership (r = 0.87, P less than 0.001), suggesting a high level of concurrent validity. There was very little overlap in the frequency distributions of the 2 groups and only 7% of the normal controls scored as high as the lowest anorexic patient. Female obese and male subjects also scored significantly lower on the EAT than anorexics. Recovered anorexic patients scored in the normal range on the test, suggesting that the EAT is sensitive to clinical remission.
3,351 citations
TL;DR: In the laboratory, scaling of PROP bitterness led to the identification of a subset of tasters (supertasters) who rate PROP as intensely bitter, and anatomical data support the sex difference; women have more fungiform papillae and more taste buds.
751 citations
TL;DR: The observed preference for sweetened high-fat foods may have implications for the development of dietary-induced obesity in man and changes in hedonic responsiveness were monitored using a mathematical modelling technique known as the Response Surface Method.
380 citations
TL;DR: Hedonic responsiveness as measured by the optimal sugar/fat ratio was negatively correlated with the degree of overweight (body mass index: weight/height).
364 citations