The Chemoperception of Primary Flavors and Its Relationship With Adiposity in Young Adults
Objective: To study the influence of adiposity (measured through anthropometric parameters) on men and women’s perception of basic taste sensations. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted that evaluated anthropometric parameters and chemoper-ception levels for sweet, salty, sour, umami, bitter, astringent and overall flavors in 22 university students from the city of Celaya, Gto., Mexico. Results: Subjects were classified into four groups according to their anthropometric parameters (BMI, WHR, and FHI) and gender: men with adequate adiposity (AA), men with inadequate adiposity (IA), women with AA, and women with IA. Anthropometric differences were assessed using Student’s t-test, while patterns between flavor perception and anthropometric indices were analyzed using correspondence analysis. Pearson correlation was used to confirm the relationship. Results indicated a higher prevalence of adiposity in men compared to women. Furthermore, in women, excess adiposity influenced the perception of sour, salty, umami, and astringent flavors. In the case of men with IA, statistically significant alterations were observed in the perception of bitter and sweet flavors. Conclusions: Excess adiposity affects the perception of basic tastes. Furthermore, depending on the distribution of adiposity (type of obesity), the impact varies between men and women, with women being more susceptible to dysgeusia associated with excess adiposity. These findings suggest that the ability to perceive tastes could be related to receptors that also influence the regulation of adiposity.
