Sweet, Salty, and Umami Taste Sensitivity and the Hedonic Perception of Taste Sensations in Adolescent Females with Anorexia Nervosa

Objective: The aim of this study was to perform analysis of sensitivity to sweet, salty, and umami tastes based on three measurement methods and of the hedonic perception of taste sensations in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa (AN). The aim of the research was to confirm the results of other authors in terms of the perception of sweet and salty taste in patients with AN, and then develop knowledge about the perception of umami taste, which is still insufficiently studied. Method: A total of 110 females with an age ranging from 13 to 19 years, including 50 newly diagnosed patients with a restrictive subtype of AN and 60 healthy controls participated in gustatory research involving analyses of taste perception (recognition thresholds, ability to identify the taste correctly, taste intensity, and hedonic response) applying the sip and spit method. Results: Females with AN showed reduced sensitivity to salty taste and increased sensitivity to umami taste and, more often than healthy controls, wrongly classified the taste of solutions with a low sucrose concentration. Patients with AN assessed the sodium chloride and monosodium glutamate tastes less negatively than did control participants, and they did not show differences in their hedonic assessment of sucrose. Conclusions: The taste sensitivity alterations in females with AN demonstrated in this paper do not entail decreased hedonic assessment of taste experiences. Based on our results, we cannot consider the observed variation in taste sensitivity in patients with AN to be a factor that increases their negative attitude toward food consumption.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the sensitivity to sweet, salty, and umami tastes in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa (AN) using three measurement methods and evaluated the hedonic perception of taste sensations. The results showed that females with AN had reduced sensitivity to salty taste and increased sensitivity to umami taste. They also assessed the sodium chloride and monosodium glutamate tastes less negatively than healthy controls. The findings suggest that taste sensitivity alterations in AN patients do not necessarily lead to a decreased hedonic assessment of taste experiences.