Relationship of Sex, Age, and Preference Level of Sour Food with Sweetness Sensitivity in Young Japanese Adults

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish a prediction system for taste sense according to questionnaire surveys about dietary background. This study is a follow-up to a previously published Previous Article. Research Methods & Procedures: A total of 63 healthy Japanese participants, aged 20–28 years, who did not have smoking and drinking alcohol habit, were surveyed. Questionnaires about background, which included Body Mass Index (BMI), preference level of using dipping sauces in eating, eating snack food, drinking soft drinks, and preference levels for four tastes were performed. Taste examination (sweetness, saltiness, sourness, and bitterness) was performed using the dropped disc method. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were performed between the taste sense properties and questionnaire survey data. Results: Multiple regression analysis showed that sweetness sensitivity (in which a higher score indicates lower sensitivity) was significantly affected by dietary background properties, with the strongest influence of sex, age and preference level of sour food. The following prediction equation was determined: Sweetness sensitivity=3.6 + [-0.25 × sex (male: 0, female: 1)] + (-0.03 × age) + [-0.13 × preference level of sour food (1: strongly disagree, 2: disagree, 3: neither agree nor disagree, 4: agree, 5: strongly agree)]. Analysis of variance showed an overall significant effect of these variables on sweetness sensitivity (R2=0.48, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Sweetness sensitivity could be predicted by sex, age, and preference level of sour food, through a multiple regression analysis, in a healthy Japanese population.