Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to perform analysis of sensitivity to sweet, salty, and umami tastes based on three measurement methods and of the hedonic perception of taste sensations in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa (AN). The aim of the research was to confirm the results of other authors in terms of the perception of sweet and salty taste in patients with AN, and then develop knowledge about the perception of umami taste, which is still insufficiently studied. Method: A total of 110 females with an age ranging from 13 to 19 years, including 50 newly diagnosed patients with a restrictive subtype of AN and 60 healthy controls participated in gustatory research involving analyses of taste perception (recognition thresholds, ability to identify the taste correctly, taste intensity, and hedonic response) applying the sip and spit method. Results: Females with AN showed reduced sensitivity to salty taste and increased sensitivity to umami taste and, more often than healthy controls, wrongly classified the taste of solutions with a low sucrose concentration. Patients with AN assessed the sodium chloride and monosodium glutamate tastes less negatively than did control participants, and they did not show differences in their hedonic assessment of sucrose. Conclusions: The taste sensitivity alterations in females with AN demonstrated in this paper do not entail decreased hedonic assessment of taste experiences. Based on our results, we cannot consider the observed variation in taste sensitivity in patients with AN to be a factor that increases their negative attitude toward food consumption.
Highlights
Inappropriate eating behaviors are one of the main symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN)
Attempts were made to confirm the results presented in the literature regarding sweet taste perception in patients with AN using four methods of its assessment
The taste recognition thresholds for sucrose and sodium chloride did not differ between the AN group and controls, but for monosodium glutamate, the threshold was lower in the AN group (Median: 8, 1st Quartile: 5, 3rd Quartile: 11) compared with the C group (Median: 10, 1st Quartile: 7, 3rd Quartile: 11) (p < 0.05) (Figure 2)
Summary
Inappropriate eating behaviors are one of the main symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN). The results of research on this issue are ambiguous. Several researchers have demonstrated decreased taste sensitivity in people with AN [1–4]. In patients affected by AN, sensitivity to sweet taste remains unchanged [5–10]. Taste sensitivity has a significant influence on food intake control, and its evaluation in patients with AN may provide valuable information about disease development and treatment progress. Nozoe et al [4] observed that a rapid improvement in taste responsiveness during therapy is accompanied by a positive therapeutic effect, i.e., energy consumption at the level of 1600 kcal/day. The authors believe that early improvement in taste responsiveness suggests decreased resistance to an applied therapeutic program. The pleasure found in taste sensations has a considerable influence on the motivation to eat
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