AGFD 201 |
| A history of moderate/severe middle ear infections (usually in childhood) associates with greater BMI; those with this history are almost twice as likely to be obese as are those without it. Ear infections damage the chorda tympani taste nerve (it passes through the middle ear). Damage to the chorda tympani intensifies non-taste oral sensations (CNS release-of-inhibition). Thus sensations produced by fats and thickeners in foods are intensified in those with a history of ear infections. Assessment of 26 foods using the hedonic gLMS (a scale that assesses food liking in the context of all hedonic experience) in subjects 30 and older showed that those with a history of ear infections (N=245) liked food more than did those without this history (N=1055); as energy density (kcal/100 gms) rose, this difference increased. We suggest that sensory changes due to taste damage intensified the liking for energy dense foods leading to weight gain. |
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Chemical Senses and Health: 100th Anniversary of AGFD and 40th Anniversary of the Monell Center
8:30 AM-12:00 PM, Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Pennsylvania Convention Center -- 113C, Oral
Division of Agricultural & Food Chemistry |