The goal of this study was to determine whether obese women exhibit altered umami and sweet taste perception compared to normal‐weight women. A total of 57 subjects (23 obese and 34 normal weight) participated in a 2‐day study separated by 1 week. Half of the women in each group were evaluated using monosodium glutamate (MSG; prototypical umami stimulus) on the first test day and sucrose on the second test day; the order was reversed for the remaining women. We used two‐alternative forced‐choice staircase procedures to measure taste detection thresholds, forced‐choice tracking technique to measure preferences, the general Labeled Magnitude Scale (gLMS) to measure perceived intensity of suprathreshold concentrations, and a triangle test to measure discrimination between 29 mmol/l MSG and 29 mmol/l NaCl. Obese women required higher MSG concentrations to detect a taste and preferred significantly higher MSG concentrations in a soup‐like vehicle. However, their perception of MSG at suprathreshold concentrations, their ability to discriminate MSG from salt, and their preference for sucrose were similar to that observed in normal‐weight women. Regardless of their body weight category, 28% of the women did not discriminate 29 mmol/l MSG from 29 mmol/l NaCl (nondiscriminators). Surprisingly, we found that, relative to discriminators, nondiscriminators perceived less savoriness when tasting suprathreshold MSG concentrations and less sweetness from suprathreshold sucrose concentrations but had similar MSG and sucrose detection thresholds. Taken together, these data suggest that body weight is related to some components of umami taste and that different mechanisms are involved in the perception of threshold and suprathreshold MSG concentrations.

BackgroundThe present study aimed to determine if salty and sweet taste preferences in children are related to each other, to markers of growth, and to genetic differences.MethodsWe conducted a 2-day, single-blind experimental study using the Monell two-series, forced-choice, paired-comparison tracking method to determine taste preferences. The volunteer sample consisted of a racially/ethnically diverse group of children, 5–10 years of age (n = 108), and their mothers (n = 83). After excluding those mothers who did not meet eligibility and children who did not understand or comply with study procedures, the final sample was 101 children and 76 adults. The main outcome measures were most preferred concentration of salt in broth and crackers; most preferred concentration of sucrose in water and jelly; reported dietary intake of salty and sweet foods; levels of a bone growth marker; anthropometric measurements such as height, weight, and percent body fat; and TAS1R3 (sweet taste receptor) genotype.ResultsChildren preferred higher concentrations of salt in broth and sucrose in water than did adults, and for both groups, salty and sweet taste preferences were significantly and positively correlated. In children, preference measures were related to reported intake of sodium but not of added sugars. Children who were tall for their age preferred sweeter solutions than did those that were shorter and percent body fat was correlated with salt preference. In mothers but not in children, sweet preference correlated with TAS1R3 genotype.Conclusions and RelevanceFor children, sweet and salty taste preferences were positively correlated and related to some aspects of real-world food intake. Complying with recommendations to reduce added sugars and salt may be more difficult for some children, which emphasizes the need for new strategies to improve children's diets.

OBJECTIVE Although there are established age-related differences in sweet preferences, it remains unknown whether children differ from mothers in their preference for and perception of fat (creaminess). We examined whether individual differences in sucrose and fat preferences and perception are related to age, genotype and lifestyle. SUBJECTS Children 5–10 years-old (n = 84) and their mothers (n = 67) chose the concentration of sucrose and fat most preferred in pudding and sucrose most preferred in water using identical, two-alternative, forced-choice procedures, and ranked pudding samples for intensity of sweetness and creaminess. Subjects were also weighed and measured for height, as well as genotyped for a sweet-receptor gene (TAS1R3). RESULTS Children preferred higher concentrations of sucrose in water (P = 0.03) and in pudding (P = 0.05) and lower concentrations of fat in pudding (P<0.01) than did mothers. Children and mothers were equally able= to rank the intensity of different concentrations of fat (P=0.12) but not sucrose in pudding (P = 0.01). Obese and lean children and mothers did not differ in preferences, but obese mothers were less able to correctly rank the concentration of fat in pudding than were lean mothers (P = 0.03). Mothers who smoked preferred a higher concentration of sucrose than did those who never smoked (P<0.01). Individual differences in sweet preference were associated with genetic variation within the TAS1R3 gene in mothers but not children (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION Irrespective of genotype, children prefer higher concentrations of sugar but lower concentrations of fat in puddings than do their mothers. Thus, reduced-fat foods may be better accepted by children than adults.

The present study assessed food cravings in a cohort of 229 women who differed in smoking history (i.e., never smoker, former smoker, and current smoker) and body weight (i.e., normal weight, overweight, and obese). Each subject completed the Food Craving Inventory (FCI), which measures cravings for sweets, high fats, carbohydrates/starches, and fast‐food fats, and the Profile of Mood States (POMS), which measures psychological distress. Smoking and obesity were independently associated with specific food cravings and mood states. Current smokers craved high fats more frequently than former and never smokers. They also craved starches more frequently and felt more depressed and angry than never smokers, but not former smokers. Whereas cravings for starchy foods and some mood states may be characteristic of women who are likely to smoke, more frequent cravings for fat among smokers is related to smoking per se. Similarly, obese women craved high fats more frequently than nonobese women and depression symptoms were intensified with increasing body weights. We hypothesize that the overlapping neuroendocrine alterations associated with obesity and smoking and the remarkable similarities in food cravings and mood states between women who smoke and women who are obese suggest that common biological mechanisms modulate cravings for fat in these women.

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke puts children at greater risk for respiratory tract infection and other illnesses and increases the risk that children later become habitual smokers. Because cough sensitivity may relate to both illness and smoking initiation, we determined whether this vital reflex is impaired in children living with smokers. METHODS A single-inhalation capsaicin challenge was administered to 2 groups of healthy children (16 females, 22 males; 10-17 years old) and parents (25 mothers, 1 father): exposed children (n = 17) and parents (n = 13) who smoked ~10 cigarettes/day; and age-matched children (n = 21) never exposed to smoke at home and parents who never smoked in their lifetimes (n = 13). The lowest capsaicin concentrations that triggered (a) sensations of tingle, sting, or burn (irritation threshold) and (b) at least two coughs (cough threshold) were determined. RESULTS Cough thresholds were 2 times as high in exposed children (15.00 µM; 95% confidence interval (CI): 9.98-22.55 µM) as in non-ETS-exposed children (7.31 µM; CI: 5.25-10.19 µM, p = .003). Smoking parents also had higher cough thresholds than never-smoker parents (p = .009). Throat irritation was reported at concentrations below cough threshold for both children and parents. Irritation thresholds did not differ significantly between the two groups of children but were higher for smoking parents than for never-smokers (p = .027). CONCLUSIONS We provide the first evidence that the cough reflex is impaired in seemingly healthy children who live with smokers. The 2-fold difference in cough threshold is comparable in magnitude to the change that occurs with acute respiratory tract infection.

Despite recommendations to delay weaning until infants are 4–6 months, many mothers introduce solid foods at an earlier age. To gain insights into what aspects of behavioral development precede as well as follow weaning, we conducted an 8‐month longitudinal study of formula‐fed infants (n=79) and their mothers. Each month, beginning when the infant was 0.5 months of age, dyads visited the Monell Center whereupon we measured specific domains of infant development via the Mullen's scale and queried mothers about what foods if any were introduced to their infants’ diet. The age at which solid foods were routinely (>;4 times/month) introduced ranged from 1.3 to 8.6 months. Infants were stratified by age (month) of solid food introduction: <4 (n=20; early‐weaners), 4–6 (n=40), and >;6 months (n=8). Early weaners, at the 3.5 month visit, scored significantly higher in the domains of gross motor, visual reception, receptive language, expressive language and early learning than the other infants. By 6.5 months of age, when the majority (96.2%) of infants were routinely eating solid foods, there were no significant differences in any of the developmental measures among groups. These data suggest an association between both cognitive and motor development and the timing of which mothers begin complementing their infants’ diets with solid foods. More findings will be presented to understand the temporality of this relationship.This research was supported by grants R01HD37119 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.