Taste Changes With Bariatric Surgery

It is commonly believed that a link exists between BMI and taste perception. One group of researchers observed that women who are obese experience reduced taste sensitivity when compared to normal-weight controls. Others have compared taste sensitivity between lean and obese subjects and found no significant differences. The inconsistencies in these studies demonstrate how much variation in taste sensitivity is possible when different factors are applied in research. Throughout several studies, one element remains constant - bariatric surgery causes appetite aversions. These changes in appetite and food preference likely have a large influence on the overall magnitude of post-surgical weight loss. Although many studies have investigated the changes in taste preference after bariatric surgery, few, if any, have focused on changes in sweet taste perception.

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Key information

Conditions

Taste, Altered Dysgeusia Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Sensation Disorders Signs and Symptoms Taste Disorders

Age range

21 year–70 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Observational

Primary location

Elizabeth Parks, Columbia, Missouri, United States

About this study

The overall goal of the present project is to determine how future bariatric surgery will affect the taste for sweet liquids. Taste perception will be assessed before surgery (pre-operative, pre-op) and after bariatric surgery, at approximately 1 month. Taste studies will be conducted with solutions prepared freshly before each test using sucrose dissolved in distilled water. Six concentrations of sucrose (table sugar) will be tasted in random order, with the most concentrated solution being roughly the sweetness of soda. The subject is blinded to the concentrations. It is hypothesized that there will be no significant difference in taste perception when pre-op and post-op values are compared. However, the investigators hypothesize that taste preference will identify solutions with lower concentrations post-op.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Women who plan to undergo bariatric surgery.
Age: 21-70y.
Non-smokers (at least 3 months post smoking cessation).
Non-diabetic or prediabetic

Exclusion criteria

Subject on a medication known to affect taste perception: Antibiotics, thyroid medications, psychotropic, neurological, and cardiac medications.
Inability to understand the test instructions.
Subject has already undergone bariatric surgery

Treatment and study plan

taste test

Other

All subjects will complete a procedure to determine their taste sensitivity to sweet tastants.

Primary outcomes

Taste Perception on an Interval Scale

Time frame: Change from baseline to one month after bariatric surgery

Taste perception will be assessed by the subjects' responses to varying sucrose solutions. The interval scale begins with "barely detectable" at zero and goes up to "strongest imaginable" at 10. Subjects will be asked to draw an "X" at the location on the graph corresponding to their perception.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Missouri-Columbia

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2018
Primary completion: 2019
Study completion: 2020
First posted: Jun 6, 2018
Registry last updated: Nov 2, 2020

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed