Energy intake and diet selection during buffet consumption in women classified by the 6-n-propylthiouracil bitter taste phenotype

Background: Exposure to a variety of energy-dense foods promotes increased energy intake and adiposity. Taste blindness to the bitterness of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) has been associated with increased adiposity in women and might be linked to an increased energy intake and greater selection of dietary fat. Objective: We investigated whether PROP nontaster (NT) women would consume more fat and energy in a buffet setting than medium taster (MT) or supertaster (ST) women. Design: Seventy-five non-diet-restrained, lean, young women [mean +/- SEM BMI (in kg/m(2)): 21.5 +/- 0.6; age: 26.1 +/- 1.3 y) ate lunch and dinner in the laboratory for 3 consecutive days under the following 2 conditions: ad libitum control meals (CONTs) or high-variety buffet meals (BUFFs). A standard breakfast was consumed each day of the study (4-d washout between conditions). Results: NTs and MTs consumed more energy and fat (as the percentage of energy) from BUFFs than did STs (P < 0.01), which contributed to higher daily energy intakes in these 2 groups of women during BUFFs (2149 +/- 49 kcal/d for NTs and 2209 +/- 48 kcal/d for MTs compared with 1933 +/- 50 kcal/d for STs; P < 0.01). Together, NTs and MTs consumed an extra 246 kcal/d during BUFFs than during CONTs. In addition, compared with STs, NTs and MTs consumed more added fats and sweets (servings/d; P < 0.003) and more energy from snacks (P < 0.01) across all study days. Conclusions: NT and MT women consume more daily energy than do ST women when eating in a buffet setting, which is a common type of dietary exposure. This increase in energy intake over time could contribute to a positive energy balance and increased adiposity previously reported in these women.