Food intake and dietary selection during buffet feeding in women classified by 6‐n‐propylthiouracil (PROP) taster phenotype ‐ A preliminary report

Abstract

Taste blindness to PROP is a common phenotype that has been associated with increased adiposity in women, and might be linked to increased energy and fat intake. Since exposure to a variety of energy‐dense foods is known to promote excess energy intake, we investigated if PROP non‐taster (NT) women would consume more fat and/or energy in a buffet setting than medium taster (MT) or super‐taster (ST) women. Subjects were non‐diet restrained, lean (BMI= 21.8 ± 0.8), women (26.8 ± 1.5 yr). To date, 14 NT, 20 MT and 16 ST participated. Subjects ate lunch and dinner in the laboratory for 3 consecutive control (CONT) days and 3 consecutive buffet (BUF) days; there was a 4‐d washout between conditions. During CONT they consumed ad‐libitum, fixed‐item meals; during BUF they selected from a variety of foods. As expected, all groups consumed more energy during BUF than CONT (p<0.0001). Compared to NT, ST consumed more protein (% en) across all days of the study (p<0.0002), as well as more fruit and non‐caloric beverages and less sweet‐fat snacks (p<0.05–0.003). Energy intake was marginally higher in NT compared to ST. These data suggest that NT women consume more energy‐ dense foods than ST which might contribute to group differences in energy balance over time. Supported by the American Heart Association.