Statistical Modeling Approaches with Taste Functioning and Central Adiposity in Women: Implications for Mining the New National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Taste and Smell Protocol

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For the first time, taste functioning is assessed in NHANES 2013‐2014 with measures that capture genetic and environmentally‐mediated variation in taste, previously shown to associate with diet behaviors and adiposity. Mining an existing database of 407 ostensibly healthy women (35±17 years), we utilized structural equation modeling to test paths of association between self‐reported risk factors for taste alteration (otitis media, head trauma, tonsillectomy), NHANES taste measures (intensities of concentrated NaCl and quinine on the tongue tip and whole mouth) and central adiposity. Thirty‐nine% were overweight/obese; 21% had elevated waist circumference (WC). Diminished taste intensity on the tongue‐tip, measured directly or as ratio to whole mouth intensity, was explained by taste risk factors and associated with greater WC. Greater WC also was explained directly by age, lower papillae density (another marker of taste variation) and taste risk factors. Additionally, tongue tip‐whole mouth ratio partially mediated (indirect effect, β=‐0.03, p <0.05) the association between head trauma and WC. The model showed good fit indices, explaining 15.7% variance in WC. The model excluding papillae density showed similar results. In summary, NHANES taste measures can have relevance to nutrition‐related health outcomes with paths of association between risk factors for taste alteration, taste functioning and adiposity. Our findings provide a framework for analyzing NHANES taste data to study associations between taste, dietary behaviors and health (Supported by NIDCD).