(EA01-13-25) Exploring the Role of Liking of Taste in Satiation Across Multiple Laboratory Studies

Scientific conference where the work was recently presented: SSIB 2024 (Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior)

Date on which the work was previously presented at the scientific conference listed: July 11, 2024

Objectives: We examined how changes in liking of the taste of a food as it is eaten relate to satiation.

Methods: In this secondary analysis we combined data from 11 laboratory studies that assessed intake and ratings of liking for taste (on a 100 mm VAS) of a food before and after it was eaten. The dataset includes 1935 meals and 534 adults (60% women, age 18-68 y, 70% healthy weight). Analyses used linear mixed models with repeated measures accounting for study and food characteristics.

Results: Across studies, the mean pre-meal rating of taste was 72±18mm, and the mean post-meal rating was 48±22 mm. Thus, while both pre- and post- meal ratings varied by study (ps < 0.02), on average, liking of taste declined during consumption, and individuals stopped eating when liking approached neutral (~50 mm). This suggests that eating continues until food is only neutrally liked. We propose that if a food continues to be liked throughout a meal, individuals will consume more. This is supported by our findings that across meals, pre-meal ratings and post-meal liking of taste were independently positively associated with intake (ps < 0.03); thus, individuals consumed more when initial liking was high, and when liking remained high. Additionally, change in liking per gram was negatively related to intake (p < 0.0001); across meals, more was eaten when the change in liking per gram was smaller.

Conclusions: Overall, these findings highlight the role of liking of taste in satiation, demonstrating that across meals individuals typically stopped eating at a neutral point in liking. Moreover, our findings suggest that risk of overconsumption may be higher at meals where liking of the taste of food is maintained throughout, for example when foods are initially highly liked or promote a smaller change in liking per gram.

Funding Sources: This research was supported by NIH Grants R01 DK059853 and R37 DK039177 (PI: Rolls) and NIH Grant R01 DK126050 (PI: Keller).