Dietary Behavior, Olfactory and Gustatory Function in a University Student Population
Open Access
- Author:
- Haines, Matthiew
- Millennium Scholars Program:
- Food Science (FDSC_BS)
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisor:
- Helene Hopfer, Thesis Supervisor
John Hayes, Advisor - Keywords:
- sensory science
gustatory function
olfactory function
dietary behavior - Abstract:
- Many studies have looked at biological differences between females and males, from brain chemistry to development to sensory differences in gustatory function. Conversely, few studies have focused on differences in transgender populations relative to cisgender populations. This research explores the influence of gender identity on dietary behavior, gustatory and olfactory function in young adults. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest brain patterns align with gender identity, rather than sex assigned at birth. Prior research has found differences in the intake of gender non-conforming and gender conforming peers. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) started including chemosensory tests in 2011. Although this aspect of the NHANES was restricted to adults 40 years and older, there are important clinical implications regarding a loss of taste or smell even in college-aged students. For example, detecting the odor of smoke is vital for safety. Previous research regarding taste intensity has concluded mixed results when determining if one sex perceives one of the basic tastes more intensely than the other. Here, I hypothesize that dietary behavior, gustatory and olfactory function will be aligned with self-identified gender rather than sex assigned at birth, using a dietary behavior questionnaire and sensory evaluation of 3 prototypical tastes and 4 olfactory stimuli. While not reaching statistical significance (p < 0.05) gender non-conforming (GNC) participants had a lower desire to eat than cisgender participants (F(2, 12.4) = 1.13, p = 0.355) and a high degree of restrained eating (F(2, 11.8) = 2.59, p= 0.117). None of the participants presented anosmia, and no gender differences were observed among the 4 odorants used. The gender non-conforming participants rated lower intensity scores for the 0.18 mM quinine, 0.32 M sodium chloride, and 1 M sucrose solutions. Cisgender males (CM) rated the 1 M sucrose solution more intense than cisgender females (CF) or GNC (F(2, 9.99) = 7.43, p = 0.011). CF liked the 1 M sodium chloride significantly more than CM or GNC (F(2, 9.81) = 10.55, p = 0.004). There was not enough evidence to support my hypothesis, however, more research is needed to understand dietary behavior, gustatory, and olfactory function in a gender diverse population.