Influences on Food Selection of Women on High‐ and Low‐Fat Diets

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Abstract
There is evidence that long‐term maintenance of a low‐fat diet reduces preference for high‐fat foods. Sensory evaluation of the taste of fat, and preference for high and low‐fat foods were studied in a group of former participants in a randomized dietary intervention trial aimed at lowering fat consumption. Intervention subjects consuming less than 25% of daily calories as fat and control subjects consuming more than 35% of daily calories as fat agreed to be in a “taste perception” study. In Study 1, subjects tasted 20 dairy solutions containing different levels of fat and sugar. Subjects rated the perceived intensity of fat taste, and of liking, for each of the solutions. In Study 2, subjects were asked to taste and rate 4 high‐fat and 4 low‐fat snack foods, and were then allowed to freely consume these foods in a preference test. Intervention and control subjects were similar in their sensory evaluation of the taste of fat in Study 1. In Study 2, intervention subjects reported a reduced hedonic rating of the taste of high‐fat snack foods compared to control subjects, yet intervention subjects consumed the same amount of high‐fat snack foods as control subjects. We conclude that a successful outcome in a dietary intervention may be due to social and cognitive factors, in addition to potential changes in hedonic response to fat.