BACKGROUND The propensity to overeat may, in part, be a function of the satisfaction derived from eating. If levels of satisfaction derived from food differ among normal-weight, overweight, and obese adults, the quantification of satisfaction from food may help explain why some people eat more than others. OBJECTIVE To quantify the satisfaction obtained from eating one specific food, chocolate, by measuring taste perception as normal-weight, overweight, and obese participants consumed additional pieces of chocolate. To measure the effect of nutritional information on chocolate consumption. DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING We analyzed data on 290 adults; 161 had a body mass index (BMI) that was considered normal (<25), 78 had a BMI considered overweight (≥25 and <30), and 51 had a BMI considered obese (≥30). INTERVENTION Participants were given samples of chocolate, one at a time, until they chose to stop eating. With each sample, participants were given a questionnaire. Half of the study participants were randomly selected to receive nutritional information (n=150). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Perceived taste for each sample. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED We used time-series-regression to model perceived taste changes while controlling for participant characteristics. RESULTS Study participants consumed between 2 and 51 pieces of chocolate with a mean of 12.1 pieces. Average taste perception decreased with each piece. We found no significant difference in taste perceptions between normal- and overweight participants. However, obese participants had higher levels of initial taste perception than normal- and overweight participants (P=0.02). Also, obese participants reported taste perceptions that declined at a more gradual rate than normal- and overweight participants (P<0.01). Self-reported hunger, prior to the study, affected taste perception, but providing nutritional information did not. CONCLUSIONS Obese participants started with higher levels of perceived taste and also experienced slower rates of decline than did normal-weight and overweight individuals.

中文翻译：

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体重指数分类的边际味觉变化：随机对照试验

背景 暴饮暴食的倾向可能部分是源于进食的满足感的函数。如果正常体重、超重和肥胖的成年人对食物的满意度不同，那么食物满意度的量化可能有助于解释为什么有些人吃得比其他人多。目标 通过测量正常体重、超重和肥胖参与者食用额外巧克力块时的味觉，量化食用一种特定食物巧克力所获得的满意度。测量营养信息对巧克力消费的影响。设计 随机对照试验。参与者/环境 我们分析了 290 名成年人的数据；161 人的体重指数 (BMI) 被认为是正常的 (<25)，78 人的 BMI 被认为是超重 (≥25 和 <30)，51 人的 BMI 被认为是肥胖 (≥30)。干预 参与者被给予巧克力样品，一次一个，直到他们选择停止进食。对于每个样本，参与者都会收到一份问卷。一半的研究参与者被随机选择接收营养信息（n=150）。主要结果测量每个样品的感知味道。执行的统计分析我们使用时间序列回归来模拟感知的口味变化，同时控制参与者的特征。结果 研究参与者消耗了 2 到 51 块巧克力，平均为 12.1 块。平均味觉随着每一块而降低。我们发现正常和超重参与者之间的味觉感知没有显着差异。然而，肥胖参与者的初始味觉感知水平高于正常和超重参与者（P=0.02）。还，与正常和超重参与者相比，肥胖参与者报告味觉下降的速度更缓慢（P<0.01）。在研究之前，自我报告的饥饿会影响味觉，但提供营养信息不会。结论与正常体重和超重个体相比，肥胖参与者开始时感知到的味觉水平更高，并且下降速度也更慢。