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PubMed1999

[Food preferences of 10- to 14-year-old boys and girls].

To assess their food preferences a list of 114 foods and 14 beverages was submitted to a sample of 696 boys and 537 girls aged 10 to 14 years. For each item subjects had to rare by means of a five-point facial scale how much they liked or disliked it. Items with highest preference ratings were foods like pizza, ice cream, spaghetti, French fries, hamburgers, pudding, corn flakes, potato chips and popcorn, but also included the most common types of fruit. Disliked to a high degree were liver, canned or steamed fish, raw sauerkraut and red cabbage. In food groups derived by factor analysis, fast food, candy and salty snacks (along with fruit) showed highest mean liking, while vegetables (particularly cooked) ranked at the bottom of the scale. In boys significantly stronger preferences were found for food groups such as fast food, meats, cold cuts and fish, whereas girls had a (slightly) higher preference for fruit, vegetables and cheese. Neither children's age nor relative weight were related to their food preferences to a significant degree. Similarly, groups defined by father's educational level did not show important differences in their food preferences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Effects of spiperone on feeding performance in a food preference test.

Spiperone reduced latency to feed and prolonged the total duration of feeding in a food-preference test in which novel and familiar foods were presented simultaneously to food-deprived rats. The increase in feeding duration could be accounted for in terms of an increase in time devoted to eating the novel foods, leaving the time devoted to eating the familiar food relatively unaltered. However, closer analysis of the data revealed that, at the level of mean duration of individual eating episodes, spiperone prolonged the eating-episode duration equally for both novel and familiar foods. This apparent paradox was resolved by noting that whilst spiperone did not alter the number of eating episodes in the test, it did alter the ratio of eating episodes in favour of novel foods. The data was incorporated into a control system model which depicts actions of spiperone in the food-preference situation with total eating duration as the final behavioural output.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Role of noradrenaline and serotonin in the basolateral region of the amygdala in food preferences and learned taste aversions in the rat.

First, it was confirmed that bilateral lesions in the basolateral region of the amygdala (ABL) of the rat increased the time spent eating novel as compared to familiar food in a food preference test, and that the lesions impaired learned taste aversion to a sucrose solution which had been paired with lithium chloride. Then the roles of noradrenaline and serotonin in the amygdala in these aspects of food intake were investigated. In Experiment 2, it was shown that injections of 10 and 20 nmoles of noradrenaline (NA) into the ABL increased the time spent eating familiar food in the food preference test. Higher doses of NA (50 and 100 nmoles) increased the total time spent eating without changing the preference of the rats for familiar or novel food, and produced behavioral side effects. Serotonin (5HT) injected into the ABL in doses of 10, 50 and 100 nmoles did not modify the pattern of choice of the foods. In Experiment 3, it was shown that depletion of NA in the ABL with 10 micrograms 6-hydroxydopamine did not alter the level of feeding of novel and familiar foods, but did impair taste aversion Depletion of 5HT in the ABL with 10 micrograms 5,7 dihydroxytryptamine did not alter food preferences or impair the taste aversion learning. The depletions of NA and 5HT were confirmed biochemically. These results provide further evidence for a role of the amygdala in preferences for novel as compared to familiar foods and in learning that the ingestion of a food is associated with sickness, and suggest that noradrenaline but not serotonin in the amygdala is involved in these types of control of food intake.

Amygdala↗
PubMed1975

Protein deprivation in primates: VI. Food preferences of adult rhesus monkeys maintained on low-protein diets.

Three groups of adult female rhesus monkeys, maintained on low-protein diets (.5 gm, 1 gm, and 2 gm protein per kg body weight, were compared with a control group (4 gm protein per kg body weight) on a food-preference task. Food responsiveness was assessed by presenting 8 small pieces of a certain food, equally spaced about the perimeter of a turntable attached to the home cage, and recording number of pieces taken, number of pieces eaten, and elapsed time for taking all 8 pieces. 21 different foods were used in sequence, 3 each from the following 7 categories: cheese, meat, vegetable, nut, cereal, fruit, and candy. Scores on all 3 measures were highly correlated, and the order of preference was generally the same for all groups. The 2 lowest-protein groups accepted more foods at the lower end of the palatability spectrum than did either the 4-gm or the 2-gm group. There was a tendency for the foods least preferred by the protein-deprived monkeys to be themselves high in protein. Thus, although protein deprivation appears to increase the catholicity of food preference, there is no corresponding increase in the relationship between palatability and protein content.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Social effects on development of food preferences.

The purpose of this study was to answer the question as to whether the food preferences of the young are dependent on the social influences or not. The experiments were conducted on female cats bearing electrodes implanted in the mid-lateral hypothalamus, and their weanling kittens. Each mother was given a self-stimulation test; the mothers which learned to press a lever for the hypothalamic stimulation reward were chosen for the experiment. Each mother, always 4 h food deprived before the session, was given a choice of meat pellets and banana slices. Eating bananas was rewarded by the hypothalamic stimulation whereas eating meat pellets was not; as a result, the mother concentrated only on eating bananas while ignoring meat pellets. In the following sessions one or two weanling kittens were always accompanying the mother during the session. It was found that 15 out of 18 weanling kittens used in this experiment joined the mothers in eating bananas. After separation from the mothers these kittens continued to choose bananas and ignore meat pellets when tested in the absence of the mother. Control kittens of the same age, which were never trained with the mother, refused to eat bananas. Similar results were obtained with other mother-kittens groups in which mashed potatoes or plain jellied agar were given instead of bananas. These results suggested that the food preferences of the weanling kittens were influenced by the mother's choice of food, even in the case when this food was unusual for the species.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Food preference, fish attractability and behavior manifested toward new feed in young Nile crocodiles, Crocodylus niloticus.

Food preference and fish-attractive parameters were studied on 1000 15- to 18-month-old Nile crocodiles, using two-choice preference tests. All three experimental groups preferred live fish over dead fish and live chicks, while ground meat was the last choice. As for fish attractiveness, motion, freshness, size, color and species were found as important parameters in the food-preference mechanism. When new feeds were presented to naive, ground-meat-eating crocodiles, we could find out the nature of innate and learned food recognition. Live fish, frogs and tadpoles were identified immediately as food, and the recognition of dead fish, chicks and anagmas required learning.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1993

[Food preferences among students].

The results of a food preference survey using a questionnaire on 2,567 schoolchildren of sixth, seventh and eighth grade (11 to 14 years of age) from 26 public schools in the city of Barcelona (Spain) are presented. Foods based on potatoes and cereals have the maximum acceptability, followed by dairy and meat products. Chicken is the meat with highest acceptance. Fish has a medium acceptance, and preference for dry beans and peas, fruits and vegetables is lower, although it is high for some specific foods. Important differences among sexes are observed. Boys have higher preference for meat, milk and yogurt, and girls for fish and some vegetables. Differences among genders increase with increasing age. These results are relevant for planning interventions on diet in schools from a health promotion perspective, and for the planning of school lunch programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Taste responses and food preferences in obese women: effects of weight cycling.

Taste preferences for sensory stimuli composed of sugar and fat are predictive of some food preferences and may help distinguish between potential subtypes of human obesity. A sample of 37 obese females was divided into high-flux and low-flux groups according to the magnitude of fluctuations in body weight. Variability in body weight is thought to be indicative of the weight cycling syndrome. The subjects tasted and rated five sucrose solutions in water and nine ice creams of varying sugar and fat content. Perceptions and preferences for sweet solutions were the same for both groups. In contrast, the high-flux group showed higher preferences for ice cream stimuli than did the low-flux group. High-flux females also rated sweet desserts higher on a food preference questionnaire than did low-flux females. Prior consumption of milkshake pre-loads did not affect preference ratings for sweet solutions. However, hedonic preferences for ice creams after pre-load consumption were reduced in the high-flux group. The weight cycling syndrome may be associated with elevated hedonic preferences for sweet and high fat foods.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Ablation of the area postrema causes exaggerated consumption of preferred foods in the rat.

The area postrema (AP) is a hindbrain circumventricular organ (CVO) with apparent chemoreceptive function. The AP has demonstrated neural and vascular connections with the nucleus of the solitary tract (SOL), a structure which receives the primary visceral afferents from the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract. The anatomical structure and connections of the AP suggests a potential role for this CVO in the control of feeding behavior. We have found that rats with surgically produced AP lesions consumed the same amounts of pelleted food ad libitum as control rats. Lesioned and control rats also consumed equal amounts of lab chow after 21 h food deprivation. However, when presented with a preferred food (instant breakfast or cookies), AP-lesioned rats consumed at least double the amount consumed by control rats. It is possible that AP lesions impair sensitivity to satiety cues. However, lesion rats did decrease their instant breakfast intake in response to cholecystokinin injections or gastric preloads. Furthermore, overingestion by AP-lesioned rats occurred only in response to preferred (highly palatable) foods and not in response to lab chow. Lesioned rats rejected quinine-adulterated instant breakfast at the same adulterant concentration as controls. Therefore, the lesioned rats do not suffer from ageusia or from enhanced responsiveness to bitter taste. Rather, the selective overeating by AP-lesioned rats may reflect an enhanced behavioral response to the sensory qualities of normally preferred foods. The close association of the AP with the SOL provides a neuroanatomical avenue by which a putative AP-chemoreceptor could alter the quality or intensity of information arriving via the taste afferents. Such tuning of gustatory mechanisms could be an important component of ingestive control.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Cholinergic basal forebrain is critical for social transmission of food preferences.

Studies using selective lesions of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons suggest that these neurons play a role in attentional processing, but not learning and memory. However, the tests of learning and memory used thus far have been restricted largely to spatial tasks. In the present study, we examined whether the cholinergic basal forebrain plays a role in a form of nonspatial associative memory, the social transmission of food preferences. Sham-operated control rats were compared to rats with 192 IgG-saporin lesions of the medial septum/diagonal band cholinergic projections to hippocampus or nucleus basalis magnocellularis/substantia innominata cholinergic projections to neocortex. Both lesions impaired 24-h retention of a learned social food preference relative to controls, despite performance on an immediate retention trial that was indistinguishable from controls. Moreover, 24-h retention of the socially learned food preference correlated strongly with cholinergic enzymatic activity in the neocortex, but not in the hippocampus. Immunohistochemical data confirmed significant and selective lesion-induced cholinergic depletions in the intended brain regions. These data provide evidence that the cholinergic basal forebrain, particularly the cholinergic projection to neocortex, is involved in the formation and/or retrieval of social memories related to food preference, and suggest a role for cortical acetylcholine in consolidation of associative memory processes.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Similarities in food preferences between children and their siblings and parents.

Fifty-five Canadian women completed questionnaires about the food likes and dislikes of members of their families. Each family consisted of a mother, a father, a "target" child (24-83 months old) and the child's nearest-age sibling. The likes and dislikes of the target children were cross-tabulated with those of their mothers, fathers, and siblings, and phi-statistics were computed for the child-mother, child-father and child-sibling pairs as measures of similarity in food preferences. The results revealed that the target children resembled all three members of their families in their food preferences and that this resemblance was especially pronounced in the case of siblings.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Incorporating ethnic and cultural food preferences in the renal diet.

Medical nutrition therapy (MNT), nutrition education, and counseling are essential components for effective management of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Patients with ESKD have to alter their diets and to implement new eating behaviors, sometimes irrespective of ethnic and cultural food preferences because of their high content of specific nutrients. Ethnic and cultural factors influence dietary adherence. Therefore, assessing cultural issues surrounding food and food preferences may help improve dietary adherence. A large percentage of the ESKD population in the United States is black and Hispanic, with cultural food preferences that are particularly high in potassium, phosphorus, and sodium. This article provides an overview of the role of culture and ethnicity in food habits and dietary adherence, a list of cultural and ethnic foods that should be examined and incorporated in the development of an appropriate renal diet meal plan for black and Hispanic Americans with ESKD, and practical recommendations for cross-cultural nutrition counseling. If MNT is to be effective in the medical management of patients from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, it must incorporate more traditional and customary foods in the renal diet meal plan.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1991

Children's food preferences and genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP).

Genetic sensitivity to bitter taste may be associated with preference or rejection of some foods by children. Thirty-four children aged 5-7 y participated in the following assessments: a threshold test for 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP), a scaling test to determine PROP sensitivity above threshold concentrations, a taste test of 11 foods and beverages with two methods of assessing preference (order of food selection and hedonic rating), and a verbally administered food-preference questionnaire. The 30 children who completed these tests successfully were classified as nontasters or tasters based on their PROP thresholds as well as their suprathreshold PROP functions. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in acceptance of cheese and milk for the two taste groups on one of the three preference tasks, selection of foods in order of preference. Tasters selected cheese later than did nontasters, suggesting that they like it less. Tasters selected milk earlier than did nontasters, suggesting that they like it more.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Television publicity and food preferences of school age children of the metropolitan region].

BACKGROUND: There is an alarming increase in the prevalence of child obesity in Chile. Lack of exercise and bad feeding habits strongly strongly contribute to the problem. AIM: To investigate the influence of television publicity on school age children food preferences. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A semi structured interview was applied to a representative sample of 786 school age children aged 6 to 11 years old, living in Metropolitan Santiago. Time watching television during week days and the attitude towards food and beverage commercials was analyzed and related to food preferences. RESULTS: Ninety nine percent of school age children watch television during week days and 20% watches more the three hours daily. Snack commercials such as those about potato chips, chocolates, cookies and ice cream, are preferred by 35% of children. Soda commercials are preferred by 33% and yoghurt commercials by 12%. Eighty five percent of children had money to buy food. Of these, 66% bought snacks, 15% bought sodas and 7% yoghurt. The same tendency was observed in school collations. CONCLUSIONS: The high percentage of children, watching television and the influence of commercials in their food preferences, requires an urgent educational strategy to promote healthy feeding habits.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Chemosensory function, food preferences and appetite in human liver disease.

We evaluated chemosensory function, food preferences, and appetite in 88 patients with liver disease including those with hepatitis, cirrhosis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and sclerosing cholangitis. Reported chemosensory disturbances were common in the patients with liver disease: over 40% reported recent taste changes, and 27% reported recent changes in smell, compared to only 6% of healthy, age- and gender-matched controls with no history of marked chemosensory malfunction. Compared to controls, a greater proportion of liver patients reported food cravings (47 vs. 17%) and food aversions (33 vs. 16%). Foods with a predominantly bitter taste were specifically less preferred in patients with liver disease compared to healthy controls. Patients were also more likely to report poor to fair appetite than controls (37 vs. 5%). Groups of patients with different types of liver pathology showed varying patterns of food preferences, suggesting that dietary recommendations to liver patients might be tailored to the altered preferences associated with a particular type of hepatic dysfunction.

Adult↗