| Sensory properties of food are major influences on food preference and intake. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the most significant food preference and food/eating attitude constructs as measured by the Food Attitude Survey (FAS) and to evaluate the effects of body weight, dietary restraint, body fat distribution, and menstrual cycle phase on sweet taste sensation and hedonics in female undergraduate students. Subjects were classified in three separate ways based on body weight (lean versus overweight/obese), level of dietary restraint (restrained versus unrestrained), and body fat distribution (overweight/obese android versus overweight/obese gynoid).; Food preference and food/eating attitudes of one-hundred nineteen subjects were assessed via the FAS. Exploratory factor analysis indicated four food preference factors (MEAT, VEGETABLES, DESSERTS, & FAMILIAR FOODS) and four food/eating attitudes factors (PICKY EATER, LIKE TO TRY, HASSLE EATING, & LIKE EATING) as measured by the FAS. These factors accounted for 23.5% in food preference and 54.5% in food/eating attitudes as measured by the FAS. Analysis of variance indicated that lean subjects responded more favorably to the DESSERT factor compared to the overweight/obese group. Restrained eaters responded more positively to the MEAT factor (p < 0.005) and less positively to the DESSERT factor (p < 0.01) when compared to unrestrained eaters. No between-group differences were detected for the VEGETABLES and FAMILIAR FOODS factors nor for any of the four food and eating attitude factors.; In a randomized cross-over design, 91 subjects tasted and rated the intensity and pleasantness of sucrose/water and sucrose/dairy (fat) mixtures during their follicular and luteal menstrual cycle phases. This study evaluated the effects of BMI, restrained eating behavior, body fat distribution, and menstrual phase on sweet taste sensation and hedonics. No significant BMI or menstrual cycle phase effects were detected. Compared to restrained eaters, unrestrained eaters assigned higher sweetness and fatness intensity ratings to a variety of samples. Gynoid overweight/obese subjects rated the three weakest sugar/water concentrations as significantly more pleasant and the sugar/dairy mixtures highest in sucrose and fat content as significantly less pleasant compared to the android subjects (p < 0.05). |
