Effects of oral fat stimulation on fat taste perception and preference among Japanese young men and women

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that oral chemoreception is involved in the detection of fat via its breakdown products, fatty acids. In addition, long‐term consumption of high‐fat diet was reported to decrease oral fatty acid sensitivity. However, it is unclear whether dietary fat temporarily modulates fat taste perception and preference. We examined whether dietary fat stimulation of lingual lipid sensors affects oral fatty acid sensitivity and fat preference, and compared the results with those of sucrose among healthy young Japanese men and women. In addition, we assessed the sex difference or effects of sex hormones on the basal level of oral fatty acid sensitivity, fat preference, and changes in their levels after dietary fat stimulation.Female subjects participated in laboratory experiments three times in a random order in the early and late follicular phases, and mid‐luteal phases during the menstrual cycle, and male subjects did so on an arbitrary day. To test oral fatty acid sensitivity, oleic acid (C18:1) detection thresholds were determined using a three‐alternative forced‐choice methodology. The fat preference test was carried out by choosing the preference for cottage cheese containing four different concentrations of food lipids. Measurements of oleic acid detection threshold and fat preference were repeated after a lingual stimulation by 5 min exposure of dietary fat or sucrose. After the experiments, subjects consumed a buffet‐style lunch where they ate various food items until comfortably full, and their energy intake, fat intake, and fat‐energy ratio was assessed. We analyzed the relationship between oleic acid sensitivity and fat preference, or energy intake and the effects of sex hormones on these variables.Oral oleic acid thresholds did not vary between men and women in the early follicular phase, but changed in three phases during the menstrual cycle in women. Short‐term lingual stimulation with dietary fat enhanced the oleic acid thresholds in both women and men. In addition, there was a correlation between the oleic acid threshold and energy intake after the stimulation. The present result suggests that oral fatty acid sensitivity decreases after dietary fat stimulation and mediates total energy intake in a meal. Additionally, ovarian hormones possibly affect energy intake through oral fatty acid sensitivity in women.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.