Study: obese or anorexic individuals react differently to taste

Posted on May 17, 2016

Photo: flickr

"Taste is an important driver of food intake and invariably associated with distinct neuronal patters in the insula, the brain's primary taste cortex," said the study's lead author Guido Frank, MD, a psychiatrist and associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Frank and his team set out to find if abnormal eating patterns were associated with changes in the insula's ability to classify taste stimuli. Some 106 women of similar age underwent brain imaging while tasting sugar water or a tasteless water solution. Researchers studied how well the insula could differentiate between the flavors.

They found that individuals with anorexia nervosa or obesty, had difficulty distinguishing between ordinary water and sugar water, compared to control subjects and those who had recovered from anorexia nervosa.

Frank explains, "If you can't differentiate between tastes, that could impact how much you eat."

While more research is needed, Frank said one possible treatment could be to alter the taste of food. "Perhaps adjusting flavor intensity by reducing it for those with anorexia and enhancing it for those who are obese," he said. "It's something we need to examine more closely."

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Category(s):Eating Disorders

Source material from EurekAlert!