Oral fat perception is related with body mass index, preference and consumption of high-fat foods

Abstract Oral sensory perception may play an important role in food preferences, driving food intake and energy balance. Fat perceived in oral cavity has been associated with satiety and homeostatic signals. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that fat oral-intensity perception may be associated with BMI, food preferences and consumption of fat-rich foods. The ability to perceive linoleic acid at different concentrations by intensity scaling was measured in young adults (n = 121), characterized by anthropometric measurements such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and total body fat (TBF) percentage. Additionally, dietary habits were recorded online during 35 days using a questionnaire designed according to the 24-hour recall and the food diary methods. Finally, food preferences were evaluated online using a nine-point hedonic scale. Taste sensitivity (intensity scaling with suprathreshold concentrations) was estimated with different linoleic acid concentrations using a linear scale of 150 mm labeled at the ends. Four groups were established after the ratings for oral-intensity perception of linoleic acid: quartile high ratings (QH ), quartile medium-high ratings (QMH ), quartile medium-low ratings (QML ) and quartile low ratings (QL ). Participants with high-intensity ratings for linoleic acid (QH ) had lower BMI (p = 0.04) and waist circumference (WC) (p = 0.03) values than participants in the QL group. High-fat foods (foods with more than 20% of energy from lipids such as fast foods and Mexican street foods) were less preferred by participants with high-intensity ratings for linoleic acid (QH ) than by participants with medium- (QMH , QML ) and low-(QL ) intensity ratings (p < 0.01). Also, participants with high-intensity ratings for linoleic acid (QH ) presented lower consumption of high-fat foods like fast foods (p = 0.04) and Mexican street foods (p = 0.03) than subjects with medium- (QMH , QML ) and low-(QL ) intensity ratings. Overall, these data suggest that the participant's intensity ratings for oral perception of linoleic acid were inversely correlated with BMI, WC, preference and consumption of high-fat foods such as fast foods and Mexican street foods, and it may serve as a predisposing factor for fat consumption in humans.