Effect of Obesity Surgery on Taste

Abstract

Obesity surgery is a highly efficacious treatment for obesity and its comorbidities. The underlying mechanisms of weight loss after obesity surgery are not yet fully understood. Changes to taste function could be a contributing factor. However, the pattern of change in different taste domains and among obesity surgery operations is not consistent in the literature. A systematic search was performed to identify all articles investigating gustation in human studies following bariatric procedures. A total of 3323 articles were identified after database searches, searching references and deduplication, and 17 articles were included. These articles provided evidence of changes in the sensory and reward domains of taste following obesity procedures. No study investigated the effect of obesity surgery on the physiological domain of taste. Taste detection sensitivity for sweetness increases shortly after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Additionally, patients have a reduced appetitive reward value to sweet stimuli. For the subgroup of patients who experience changes in their food preferences after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or vertical sleeve gastrectomy, changes in taste function may be underlying mechanisms for changing food preferences which may lead to weight loss and its maintenance. However, data are heterogeneous; the potential effect dilutes over time and varies significantly between different procedures.

Changes in Food Choice, Taste, Desire, and Enjoyment 1 Year after Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Prospective Study

“…However, the exact mechanisms by which SG induces weight loss are not completely clear. While there is a general agreement that the reduction in volume of food plays a central role in post-SG weight loss [ 34 ], some studies suggest that changes in what patients eat may also contribute [ 1 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”

“…Obesity was shown to lower gustatory sensitivity in both children and adults, and there are studies on the preference for sweet taste in patients with obesity [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. In this regard, it has been suggested that patients after SG change their preference from high to lower caloric density food [ 1 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Based on our findings, we are able to support the evidence that changes in taste, desire, and enjoyment of taste are very common after SG, with a reduced preference for food with high sugar and fat content and an increased postoperative preference for low-sugar and -fat foods.…”

“…Taste is one of the factors responsible for eating rate, as it is related to the duration of oral exposure to food, and thereby, it affects satiation [ 1 ]. The sense of taste plays an essential role in eating behavior, as it contributes to food choice, energy intake, and hence, body weight regulation, nutritional status, and health of the individual [ 2 ].…”

“…This has been theorized as partly due to an underlying functional change, including a shift of the gut hormone profile toward an anorexic state [ 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Additionally, changes have been noted in food cravings for sweet, high-carbohydrate, and fast foods post-surgically [ 1 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Patients who had higher cravings before undergoing SG were found to have significantly decreased cravings and hedonic responses when matched with normal weight controls post-op, independent of weight loss [ 18 ].…”

Sleeve Gastrectomy-Induced Body Mass Index Reduction Increases the Intensity of Taste Perception’s and Reduces Bitter-Induced Pleasantness in Severe Obesity

“…Taste receptors (TRs) are found in oral and extra-oral sites, as well as in the digestive system, where they are localized in the epithelial cells, including the enteroendocrine (EEC) cells of the gastrointestinal (GI) mucosa lining, and play a critical role in integrating inputs from luminal content and regulating food intake through a gut–brain pathway [ 11 ]. Although taste is one of the most important factors influencing feeding behaviors, the number of studies on the gustatory sensitivity of obese patients is still scarce and heterogeneous [ 12 ]. Most of the studies have focused on the impaired taste sensitivity in obese subjects and on the change in sweet taste perception [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”