Taste and eating disorders

Abstract

Taste responses to sucrose and fat-containing stimuli were examined in a population of young women with eating disorders. Anorectic-restrictor and anorectic-bulimic patients were compared with normal-weight bulimic patients and with normal-weight control subjects. Sensory estimates of sweetness and fat content of 20 different mixtures of milk, cream, and sugar did not differ among subject groups. In contrast, relative preferences for sugar vs fat as determined by the Response Surface Method differed between patients with eating disorders and control subjects. Normal-weight bulimic patients preferred sweeter stimuli than did control subjects. Anorectic-restrictor and anorectic-bulimic patients liked sweet but disliked high-fat stimuli and showed elevated optimal sugar:fat (S:F) ratios. This pattern of response did not change following weight regain. The stability of preference profiles suggests that taste responsiveness may be independent of diagnostic categories, bulimic behaviors, or acute changes in body weight.