Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
Development and Validation of a Rapid Test for Individual Differences in Sweet Liking - Project Summary Overconsumption of sugar is associated with obesity and related chronic disease, which in turn cost ~300,000 lives and ~$546 billion annually in the United States alone. Leading health agencies recommend reducing intake of added sugars, but pleasure (hedonics) from sweetness may hinder the effort to achieve this goal. People might acclimate to reduced sugar in the food supply over time, analogous to shifts toward preference for lower levels of salt that occur after reducing sodium intake, but this hypothesis remains untested. Because hedonic response drives consumption, collecting large-scale data to understand individual differences in sweet hedonics on a population level is a critical step in guiding public policy. To facilitate population-based studies, I will first determine whether two widely used but time- and labor-intensive psychophysical sensory tests do in fact measure the same individual differences in sweet hedonics (sub-aim 1). One test asks participants to compare pairs of sugar solutions that differ in concentration and decide which solution they prefer. The other test is based on subjective ratings of liking for sugar solutions of varying concentrations. Participants will be a representative sample of healthy, US adults (n = 111). The data will not only determine agreement between the two approaches to measure individual sweet hedonic patterns but also will be used to evaluate several brief tests (potential proxies for the more time-consuming tests), including the Simple Sweet test, as candidates for use in the field or in participants’ homes to facilitate large-scale studies (sub-aim 2). For example, a briefer, valid test will facilitate data collection to examine population-level shifts in sweet hedonic response accompanying general reductions in sugar in processed foods and sweetened beverages. In addition, I will explore the relationship between sweet hedonic response and overall diet quality, especially sugar consumption (exploratory aim). The proposed work will advance our conceptual understanding of measurement of sweet hedonic response by confirming that common tests measure a single underlying trait. Furthermore, it will explore the relationship between sweet hedonics and diet quality using methods robust against misreporting. My study will also facilitate collection of data on hedonic response by validating more efficient tests, thereby supporting the NIDCD goal of Developing Tools to Measure Taste and Smell Function. As a postdoctoral trainee, this project will provide me with the foundation in the theory and practice of measuring hedonic response, a skill set that can be applied to other nutrients of concern for obesity and public health, including salt and fat. These skills will complement my expertise in nutrition science and prepare me to become a leading researcher in the field of sensory nutrition, with the long-term goal of facilitating public health through enhanced understanding of how diet and perception interact to drive food choice.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).