Changes of Taste, Smell and Eating Behavior in Patients Undergoing Bariatric Surgery: Associations with PROP Phenotypes and Polymorphisms in the Odorant-Binding Protein OBPIIa and CD36 Receptor Genes.

Melania Melis,Mariano Mastinu,Marta Yanina Pepino,Giovanni Fantola,Stefano Pintus,Roberto Moroni,Iole Tomassini Barbarossa

doi:10.3390/nu13010250

Melania Melis, Mariano Mastinu + Show 5 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010250

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Abstract

Bariatric surgery is the most effective long-term treatment for severe obesity and related comorbidities. Although patients who underwent bariatric surgery report changes of taste and smell perception, results from sensory studies are discrepant and limited. Here, we assessed taste and smell functions in 51 patients before, one month, and six months after undergoing bariatric surgery. We used taste strip tests to assess gustatory function (including sweetness, saltiness, sourness, umaminess, bitterness and oleic acid, a fatty stimulus), the “Sniffin’ Sticks” test to assess olfactory identification and the 3-Factor Eating Questionnaire to assess eating behavior. We also explored associations between these phenotypes and flavor-related genes. Results showed an overall improvement in taste function (including increased sensitivity to oleic acid and the bitterness of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP)) and in olfactory function (which could be related to the increase in PROP and oleic acid sensitivity), an increase in cognitive restraint, and a decrease in disinhibition and hunger after bariatric surgery. These findings indicate that bariatric surgery can have a positive impact on olfactory and gustatory functions and eating behavior (with an important role of genetic factors, such PROP tasting), which in turn might contribute to the success of the intervention.

Highlights

It is known that obesity is a complex and multifactorial disease that originates from a combination of social, cultural, environmental, genetic, behavioral, metabolic and endocrinological factors [1]
The main goal of this study was to determine the effects of bariatric surgery on several well-established sensory phenotypes, including PROP tasting, olfactory and gustatory perception of the five basic taste qualities and, for the first time, we evaluated its impact on oral fat sensitivity
Since individual differences in sensory responses are partially controlled by genetic factors, as a secondary aim we explored whether the effects of bariatric surgery interacted with gene polymorphisms which have been previously associated with taste and olfactory sensitivity

Summary

Introduction

It is known that obesity is a complex and multifactorial disease that originates from a combination of social, cultural, environmental, genetic, behavioral, metabolic and endocrinological factors [1]. Obesity is correlated with eating habits characterized by stronger preferences for energy dense foods, such as fats and sweets [5,6,7,8], which leads to greater consumption of these kind of foods [9,10,11] These unbalanced eating habits could find explanation in a reduction in the gustatory and olfactory sensitivities or blunted brain reward activation in response to palatable food, which has been observed in people with overweight and obesity [12,13,14,15,16,17], as well as in preclinical models of obesity [18].

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