RT Journal Article
T1 Basal Levels of Salivary Alpha-Amylase Are Associated with Preference for Foods High in Sugar and Anthropometric Markers of Cardiovascular Risk
A1 Tarragon Cros, Ernesto
A1 Stein, Jakob
A1 Meyer, Jobst
AB Salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) influences the perception of taste and texture, features both relevant in acquiring food liking and, with time, food preference. However, no studies have yet investigated the relationship between basal activity levels of sAA and food preference. We collected saliva from 57 volunteers (63% women) who we assessed in terms of their preference for different food items. These items were grouped into four categories according to their nutritional properties: high in starch, high in sugar, high glycaemic index, and high glycaemic load. Anthropometric markers of cardiovascular risk were also calculated. Our findings suggest that sAA influences food preference and body composition in women. Regression analysis showed that basal sAA activity is inversely associated with subjective but not self-reported behavioural preference for foods high in sugar. Additionally, sAA and subjective preference are associated with anthropometric markers of cardiovascular risk. We believe that this pilot study points to this enzyme as an interesting candidate to consider among the physiological factors that modulate eating behaviour.
PB MDPI
SN 2076-328X
YR 2018
FD 2018
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/19082
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/19082
LA eng
NO Trier University/German Research Foundation (DFG)
NO Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
DS Docta Complutense
RD 27 abr 2024