Abstract
Background:Eating disorders are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The etiology and maintenance of eating-disorder symptoms are not well understood. Evidence suggests that there may be gustatory alterations in patients with eating disorders.Objective:This article systematically reviews research assessing gustatory differences in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED).Method:A systematic review was performed, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, examining taste and eating disorders. We reviewed electronic databases and identified 1,490 peer-reviewed English-language studies. Of these, 49 met inclusion criteria.Results:Studies employed psychophysical measures (n = 27), self-reported questionnaires (n = 5), and neuroimaging techniques (i.e., electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging; n = 17). Psychophysical studies showed that individuals with BN, in general, had greater preference for sweetness than healthy controls, and those with AN had a greater aversion for fat than controls. In neuroimaging studies, findings suggested that predictable administration of sweet-taste stimuli was associated with reduced activation in taste-reward regions of the brain among individuals with AN (e.g., insula, ventral, and dorsal striatum) but increased activation in BN and BED.Discussion:To our knowledge, this systematic review is the first to synthesize literature on taste differences in AN, BN, and BED. The inconsistency and variability in methods used across studies increased difficulties in comparing studies and disease processes. Further studies with well-defined population parameters are warranted to better understand how taste varies in patients with eating disorders.
Highlights
Eating disorders are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality
The diverse range of methodologies of the studies included in this systematic review and heterogeneity among studies limited our ability to complete a meta-analysis
Another study compared gustation between participants with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) using the Sensory Responsiveness Questionnaire (SRQ), a self-report instrument (Brand-Gothelf et al, 2016). Most of these studies did not use tastant solutions to assess taste; yet, investigators examining gustatory measures on the SRQ found that patients with AN had elevated sensory responsiveness and scores than people with BN (Brand-Gothelf et al, 2016)
Summary
Eating disorders are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The etiology and maintenance of eating-disorder symptoms are not well understood. Evidence suggests that there may be gustatory alterations in patients with eating disorders. Objective: This article systematically reviews research assessing gustatory differences in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED). Method: A systematic review was performed, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, examining taste and eating disorders. Psychophysical studies showed that individuals with BN, in general, had greater preference for sweetness than healthy controls, and those with AN had a greater aversion for fat than controls. Findings suggested that predictable administration of sweet-taste stimuli was associated with reduced activation in taste-reward regions of the brain among individuals with AN (e.g., insula, ventral, and dorsal striatum) but increased activation in BN and BED. Further studies with well-defined population parameters are warranted to better understand how taste varies in patients with eating disorders
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
