Repeated Exposure to Umami Taste on Taste Perception, Hedonics, and Satiety

Sponsor
Cornell University (Other)
Overall Status
Completed
CT.gov ID
NCT03010930
Collaborator
(none)
64
2
1

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine how repeated dietary exposure to umami taste affects umami taste perception, hedonics, food preferences, and satiety. Healthy adult subjects will consume a low glutamate vegetable broth daily for one month, where the experimental group's broth is supplemented with the umami-rich stimuli of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and the control group's low glutamate broth is matched for sodium (NaCl).

The investigators hypothesize that repeated dietary exposure to umami taste will:
  1. diminish umami suprathreshold intensity perception and hinder the ability to discriminate varying MSG concentrations

  2. decrease liking of umami-rich foods and shift preferences upwards towards more intense umami stimuli

  3. decrease satiation and decrease the satiating effect of a test meal

Condition or Disease Intervention/Treatment Phase
  • Other: Supplementation of diet with MSG
  • Other: No supplementation of diet with MSG
N/A

Study Design

Study Type:
Interventional
Actual Enrollment :
64 participants
Allocation:
Randomized
Intervention Model:
Parallel Assignment
Masking:
Single (Participant)
Primary Purpose:
Basic Science
Official Title:
Does Repeated Dietary Exposure to Umami Taste Affect Umami Perception, Hedonics, or Satiety? A Randomized Controlled Study
Study Start Date :
Oct 1, 2016
Actual Primary Completion Date :
Nov 1, 2016
Actual Study Completion Date :
Nov 1, 2016

Arms and Interventions

Arm Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: Increased exposure to MSG

Subjects consume vegetable broth daily containing MSG

Other: Supplementation of diet with MSG
Subjects eat normal diet and consume 8 ounces of vegetable broth with added MSG one time per day for 1 month

Sham Comparator: No change in exposure to MSG

Subjects consume low glutamate vegetable broth daily, sodium-matched to the broth of the experimental group with NaCl

Other: No supplementation of diet with MSG
Subjects eat normal diet and consume 8 ounces of low glutamate vegetable broth without MSG (sodium-matched with NaCl) one time per day for 1 month

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

  1. Change in umami taste intensity perception [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Subjects rate the umami intensity of aqueous solutions and foods on the general Labeled Magnitude Scale before and after a month-long dietary supplementation to determine how perception changes with repeated exposure to umami taste

  2. Change in umami taste discrimination [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Subjects rank solutions of varying umami intensity before and after a month-long dietary supplementation to determine how perception changes with repeated exposure to umami taste

Secondary Outcome Measures

  1. Change in umami liking and preference [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Subjects rate liking and preference in a variety of umami-rich foods before and after a month-long dietary supplementation to determine how liking and preference of umami-rich foods changes with repeated exposure to umami taste

  2. Change in liking and wanting of high protein foods [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Subjects complete the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire before and after a month-long dietary supplementation to determine how explicit liking and implicit wanting of high-protein foods changes with repeated exposure to umami taste

  3. Change in satiation [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Subjects consume a test meal and the amount of food eaten is measured before and after a month-long dietary supplementation to determine how satiation from a test meal differs after repeated exposure to umami taste

  4. Change in satiety [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Subjects consume a test meal and rate appetite sensations on a visual analog scale throughout the test meal before and after a month-long dietary supplementation. A satiety quotient will be derived from these values with the formula: Satiety Quotient = (rating pre-eating episode-rating post-eating episode) / (intake of eating episode) to determine how satiety changes with repeated exposure to umami taste

Other Outcome Measures

  1. Height [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Body height (centimeters) will be measured with standard procedures and equipment. Using this information, BMI will be calculated with the formula: BMI=[kg/m]2 to ensure that BMI does not change with repeated exposure to umami taste

  2. Weight [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Body weight (kilograms) will be measured with standard procedures and equipment. Using this information, BMI will be calculated with the formula: BMI=[kg/m]2 to ensure that BMI does not change with repeated exposure to umami taste

  3. Habitual glutamate consumption [1 month (at baseline and post intervention)]

    Subjects complete the National Cancer Institute's monthly diet history questionnaire to estimate habitual glutamate consumption. Baseline habitual glutamate consumption, in addition to gender, will be assessed as effect modifiers in the analysis.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:
18 Years to 60 Years
Sexes Eligible for Study:
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Yes
Inclusion Criteria:
  • Have normal sense of taste and smell (self-report)

  • Likes soups or broths (self-report)

  • Able to report to study site daily (self-report)

Exclusion Criteria:
  • Restrained eater (score > 12 on restrained eating subscale from Three Factor Eating Questionnaire)

  • BMI < 18 or > 25 kg/m2 (self-report)

  • Vegan (self-report)

  • Hypertensive or on low-sodium diet (self-report)

  • Allergic or sensitive to MSG (self-report)

Contacts and Locations

Locations

No locations specified.

Sponsors and Collaborators

  • Cornell University

Investigators

None specified.

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

None provided.
Responsible Party:
Cornell University
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT03010930
Other Study ID Numbers:
  • 1608006563
First Posted:
Jan 5, 2017
Last Update Posted:
Feb 7, 2022
Last Verified:
Jan 1, 2022
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
No
Plan to Share IPD:
No

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Feb 7, 2022