Abstract
The worldwide obesity epidemic is a major health problem driven by the modern food environment. Recently, it has been shown that smell perception plays a key role in eating behavior and is altered in obesity. However, the underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon are not well understood yet. Since the olfactory system is closely linked to the endocrine system, we hypothesized that hormonal shifts in obesity might explain this relationship. In a within-subject, repeated-measures design, we investigated sensitivity to a food and a non-food odor in the hungry and sated state in 75 young healthy (26 normal weight, 25 overweight, and 24 obese) participants (37 women). To determine metabolic health status and hormonal reactivity in response to food intake, we assessed pre- and postprandial levels of insulin, leptin, glucose, and ghrelin. Odor sensitivity did not directly depend on body weight status/body mass index (BMI) or hunger state. However, we could establish a strong negative mediating effect of insulin resistance on the relationship between BMI/waist-hip ratio and olfactory sensitivity for the food odor. These findings indicate an impact of metabolic health status on sensitivity to food odors. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms behind altered smell perception in obesity.
Highlights
The obesity epidemic is a major health problem that is associated with severe comorbidities such as diabetes, stroke, and cancer [1,2]
Summary: Within this study we aim to explore whether the effects of weight status and hunger state on olfactory sensitivity are mediated by endocrine changes in obesity
The weight groups differed in their endocrine profile
Summary
The obesity epidemic is a major health problem that is associated with severe comorbidities such as diabetes, stroke, and cancer [1,2]. Nutrients 2020, 12, 2201 are being studied intensively, the occurrence of overweight as defined by a body mass index (BMI). Between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2 and obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2 ) has almost tripled within the last 40 years [3]. Obesity has a worldwide prevalence of 13% and overweight of 39% [3]. Olfaction in obesity: While the etiology of obesity is multifactorial, one of the main contributing factors driving this rapid increase is the obesogenic environment [4,5]. Our environment is full of energy-rich foods that are advertised via stimuli for all sensory channels. The sense of smell plays a crucial role in eating behavior and influences food choice and meal size [6,7]
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