MON-113 Taste Sensitivity is Related to Incretin Response to Oral Glucose Challenge, Dietary Habits and Body Composition: A Novel Link with Energy Metabolism

Introduction: The effects of interindividual variability of taste sensitivity on energy metabolism is not yet known. We have studied the effect of taste sensitivities on dietary habits, body composition, and incretin responses to the oral glucose challenge (OGC) in non-obese healthy subjects. Methods: Eighteen, non-smoker healthy subjects (9M/9F, age: 21.6 ± 1.8, BMI: 22.5 ± 3.4 kg/m2) were studied. Body composition analysis (TANITA) and consecutive 3-day food diaries were collected. Taste perception thresholds to bitter, sour, sweet, umami and salty tastes were determined for each individual with three-alternative-forced-choice method. In addition to sensitivity scores, subjects were divided into two groups of low vs high sensitivities for each taste. Two separate oral glucose challenge tests (OGC), i.e. firstly with conventional 75 g glucose, and then secondly with 75 g glucose aromatized with 1 g citrate, performed in two non-consecutive days, after an overnight fasting. Samples for GIP, GLP-1 and glucose were collected in 0., 15., 30., 60., and 120. minutes. Results: Addition of the citrate during OGC, exerted a significant insulin-sensitizing effect in all subjects (AUC-glucose at citrated-OGC:13 623 mgxminxdl(-1), AUC-glucose at conventional-OGC:26 431 mgxminxdl(-1), p<0.001). This sensitizing effect was directly correlated with GIP responses to OGC (R=0.622, p=0.06; R=0.651, p=0.003) and was augmented in subjects with lower total-, and abdominal adiposity (R=-0.602, p=0.08; R=-0.641, p=0.04). Umami sensitive subjects had higher BMI (25.6 ± 2.4 kgxm(-2) vs 21.5 ± 3.3 kgxm(-2) p=0.023). Sweet-sensitive subjects had lower consumption of short-chained fatty acids (720 ± 400 mg/d vs 1090 ± 390 mg/d, p=0.032). Umami sensitive subjects had higher GLP-1 levels (33.5 ± 8.3 pg/ml vs 19.3 ± 6.7 pg/ml, p=0.04). Salt sensitive subjects had higher GLP-1 levels, as well (27.0 ± 8.9 pg/ml vs 17.4 ± 7.3pg/ml, p=0.039). Conclusion: This study firstly demonstrates that the individual taste sensitivity profile is significantly related to the dietary habits, body composition and fasting-, and stimulated-incretin tone in healthy human.